A Hero's Fate
by crimson sun06
Summary: A hero's fate is never happy. Percy had been told. The war had taken everything from him. With nothing left he broke off his ties with the Olympian world. Now jaded and broken it seems he will be needed again. Will he answer the call?
1. Prologue

**Okay... My first foray into Percy Jackson Fanfiction. This fic was just begging to be written and I couldn't help myself. Anyway enjoy.**

**Prologue.**

The 6 demigods stood in front of the Olympian Council. There were supposed to be seven of them. The war had claimed one. The loss had hit all of them hard, but one was taking it worse than all of them put together.

Percy Jackson.

He was staring right ahead, his face expressionless.

Zeus was giving his usual speech about the greatness of Olympus and heroism of the Olympians. However not all of them were paying attention to him. Poseidon for one was studying his son a very worried look on his face. He wasn't the only one. A few thrones down from him Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom had a similar look on her face as she gazed at the Son of Poseidon.

"Now its time to reward our heroes, who fought for Olympus and the World in their hour of need." Zeus continued as he gazed with a paternal pride at the assembled demigods.

"Lord Zeus." Percy's voice rang out echoing the Halls of Olympus. It was said in a deferential tone, but something about it felt like a challenge. A challenge issued to the gods. All the others stared at him gaping with their mouths open at his nerve, so did most of the Olympians.

"Yes Perseus." Zeus voice rumbled dangerously.

"I suppose this is the part where you reward us for our efforts?" Percy's voice held just a tinge of mocking edge.

"I was getting there, yes." Zeus was more puzzled than irritated at being interrupted. His curiosity at what the young man had to say keeping his fury at bay..._ Barely._

"There is only one gift I would like." Percy said all the while keeping his gaze steady on Zeus, all pretense of submission now gone.

"What would that be?" Zeus raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling of deja vu.

"Before that I would need a solemn oath from all of you..._ my Lord._"He added as an afterthought.

Zeus's eyes flashed dangerously, before Hera put a hand on her husband's arm calming him.

"Fine." Zeus conceded. "If your request is within our power to grant, it will be granted. This I swear on The Styx."

Percy smiled for the first time that day. His next words would echo in the halls of Olympus for years to come.

"I would like to break off all ties with Olympus."

An explosive silence enveloped all those present.

"You dare..." Zeus began his voice trembling with rage..

"I hold you to your oath. For the rest of my life I would be left alone by the Olympians. No more quests and no more oaths. That is the gift I want." Percy's voice hardened as he spoke these words.

Zeus stared at him meeting his challenging eyes, before his eyes softened in understanding.

"It is granted." The sky rumbled at Zeus's declaration.

Without another word Percy turned on his heels walking away, without so much as a backward glance, leaving the hall speechless.

As he was walking Frank tried to stop him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I am sor..." Frank began.

"I understand why you did it. Doesn't mean I forgive you." Percy brushed off his arm walking away, leaving Frank on the verge of tears and the hall silent.

* * *

**2 Years Later.**

Alex was running through the streets of Brooklyn, panting as she turned a corner into a street. The minotaur was closing in and fast. It was supposed to be a regular extraction mission. One of the satyrs had found a demigod in one of the schools in Brooklyn. She had volunteered for the mission. She thought she could handle it.**  
**

In normal conditions she could have too.

But these were anything but.

The first part of the mission had gone down well enough. She along with Matthew, son of Hermes had turned up at the school and the extraction had gone smooth enough.

Then all hell broke lose.

No soon had they gotten him out they were ambushed by a pair of empousa disguised as school cheerleaders. It was only because of Alex that they got out of that one, considering the effect the empousa had on the boys. She had injured her sword arm in that fight.

Things had only gotten worse after that. Fighting through a horde of Lamias and Mormos they had decided to split up.

She had decided to be the diversion, while waiting for reinforcements from the camp. She had used the first opportunity to contact camp that she could find. Chiron had assured her help was on the way. She just had to survive till then.

Then came the Minotaur.

It chased her down 4 streets. Her feet instinctively carrying her away from the more populous parts of the city. Something told her she would find safety or help if she kept going the way she was.

Turning the corner she collided with a what she thought was a concrete wall. Just her luck. A wall just around the corner of a street.

"Are you alright?" Came a gravelly voice to her eyes. It was then that she realized that she hadn't run into a wall. It was a man. Or more specifically a boy. Couldn't have been a couple of years older than her. Dressed in gray overalls he looked like a construction worker.

"Its not safe to be wandering the streets at this time of the night you know." The boy continued, pulling her up to her feet. Alex paid little mind to him. She had to get of there. She tried to run before he grabbed her arm. "You're bleeding. Let me get you some first aid."

"Please let me go..." The rest of her plea was lost in the roar of the Minotaur.

Crap he had caught up to her. Her eyes widened in fear as she took in the frame of the bull-headed monster. But what surprised her was the boy with her. He merely stared at the monster with a languid almost bored gaze.

"Its been a while since I last saw you." He said.

The mist is probably interfering the boy's perception of the monster. Only heaven knew what he was seeing right now. She had to run away. Draw the monster away from the mortal.

Usually they won't attack mortals, but she didn't know what they would do, if they found one between them and their pray.

The pray being her in this case.

Well she couldn't endanger a mortal. But before she could say or do anything the boy calmly beckoned the minotaur. Was she imagining it? The Minotaur actually seemed to be hesitating, it seemed..._ scared._

"I gain nothing by saving her." He spoke calmly and the Minotaur charged bellowing a battle cry swinging his weapon an ax in the shape of the greek letter Omega at the boy. Moving in speeds she could barely follow, he pulled a blade. Stepping inside the arc of the swing he plunged it in the Minotaur's throat and pulling it out in the same motion. The monster disintegrated before it hit the ground. "But I lose nothing by destroying you either." He finished, but didn't drop his guard.

A faint growl alerted Alex to the presence of a hellhound in the darkness. The boy held his ground almost as if daring it to attack.

The hellhound growled for a few seconds before finally retreating in the shadows. Alex let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding. The boy sighed and before her eyes the sword turned into a pen which the boy then proceeded to pocket.

"My place isn't far from here. why don't you come with me so we can get your arm bandaged." The boy offered.

15 minutes later they Alex was sitting in a spartan one bedroom apartment, her arm bandaged and sipping some coffee. She stared at the boy in front of her as he went about working in his house working almost mechanically.

He looked about nineteen. Messy jet black hair fell over his forehead. He was tall and built like an athlete and had melancholic sea-green eyes.

"You're a demigod." Alex said. Finally finding her voice for the first time since she allowed herself to be led to his apartment.

The boy went to the only window in his apartment and gazed out into the streets as if looking for something.

"Someone should be coming soon to pick you up from the camp." He said disregarding what she had said.

"Wait you didn't answer my question." Alex protested.

"You should go." The boy told her not relenting.

Soon she found herself back out on the streets. The jerk. What does he think of himself? She fumed to herself. But she didn't have to wait long before the promised reinforcements came in the form of a goth kid walking out of the shadows.

"Well good to see you in one piece Alex." Nico said giving her a once over. "I have been looking all over for you."

"Yeah, no thanks to you." She glared at him. Her nerves were still frayed from her near-death experience.

"But thanks to someone I see." He said indicating her bandaged arm.

"Yeah I got some help. You should have seen him Nico. He took out the Minotaur with one blow and even scared a hellhound into retreating." Alex said.

"A demigod helped you?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. He has to be. But I have never saw him in camp." Alex said. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone like that would you?"

Nico stayed silent for a while. "No, I don't."

**Well there you go. Don't forget to drop a line and tell me what you thought of it.**


	2. Escaping Perdition

**A/N:- Wow that was some response I got for this story. When I started this I sure as hell wasn't expecting the response it got. So, it actually got me to update sooner than I would otherwise have. Thanks everyone for the support. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Escaping Perdition**

Nico made his way to the big house having just gotten Alex safely to camp. She was a brave girl, but did have a habit of biting off more than she could chew. As if she had something to prove. Not unlike one other demigod he knew.

Though he could sort of see where she was coming from. Expectations had a way of doing that to you. Being the demigod son of Hades he had his own set of expectations to live up to.

Though of all the people she ran into..._ him._

He should be glad he supposed, running into him did save her life. Maybe there was hope after all.

He gave three small raps on the door, announcing his presence.

"Come in."

"Chiron." Nico bowed once to the trainer and guardian of the heroes. Though Nico didn't receive his training from him, he did acknowledge him as a master.

Chiron was seated in his normal wheelchair going through some camp reports, when he looked up to smile at him.

"Ah! Nico, the extraction went well then." He addressed the goth kid.

"About that... Alex ran into him." Nico decided to come straight to the point.

Chiron remained silent following this declaration.

"Did she now?" He said gravely.

"What would you have us do?" Nico queried.

"Nothing."

"I know your views on this Master Chiron, but we need him." Nico began.

"I am aware of that my child. But revealing ourselves to him won't achieve anything." Chiron interrupted sighing deeply. "We have to give him time and pray that he comes to us."

"What if he doesn't?" Nico couldn't help asking.

"Have faith in him. He did save Alex didn't he? Things might not be as grim as you believe." Chiron placated the boy.

Nico bowed his head once more before retreating. "Yes master."

* * *

Alex woke up with a splitting headache the next day. It took a while for her to get her bearings. Then her eyes fell on her still bandaged arm. That was when it all came rushing back to her. The mission. The extraction. The monsters, the escape but most importantly... him.

She didn't even get his name.

Removing her bandages she studied her wound, which was nothing more than an angry welt now. Well she better get up now. It was time for the camp activities.

Ever since she had arrived at the camp a year ago, she had not missed a single day of activities. It was the place she belonged. After years of trying to fit in her regular life, she had finally found her home in Camp Half-Blood. Acknowledging the greetings from her bunk mates she got ready for her day.

She went to the archery range first, and nocked an arrow to her bow, taking a deep breath she let it fly, hitting her target a hundred yards away, few inches from the center. She huffed in disappointment.

"Now now what's with the long face Alex?" Came an annoying voice in her opinion followed by a hand messing her short auburn hair.

"What do you want Will?" She said grumpily to the Apollo counselor, who smirked at her.

"I am telling you to go easy on yourself. You are getting really good." He said admiring her shot.

"Still not as good as you." She said grumpily.

"But then that's because of you know who." He winked at her.

Ever since she had gotten to camp Will Solace had taken it upon himself to act like a surrogate brother of sorts to her. She didn't mind it. He had a big hand in improving her archery skills after all.

"I just want to be good at it." She shrugged off Will's hand from her head.

"And you are." Will tried to assure her.

But Alex refused to be consoled. Last night she had almost died, if not for the mystery demigod. Her pride was wounded and she never wanted to be needed to be saved again.

She was no damsel damn it.

She made her way to the arena where the other demigods were practicing their skills with the blade. The Ares kids were the best. Their counselor Clarisse was their instructor.

At the moment Clarrise was pummeling a Dionysius kid.

"Keep your guard up maggot, feet together, more power to your thrust." She kept a steady stream of instructions as she forced the kid back, before a particularly vicious thrust sent the kid sprawling in the dust.

Alex winced at that. She had been told that Clarisse used to be a lot worse. She failed to see how.

"Next." Clarisse shouted. "What about you runt?" She pointed her sword at Alex.

Great just what she needed, be Clarisse's next punching bag. But she had never backed down and she wouldn't be starting now.

Grabbing a shield she faced Clarisse. Clarisse smirked seeing the determined expression on her face.

Without warning Clarisse struck forward with the speed of a striking cobra, Alex barely reacting in time bringing her shield to block the thrust. The power behind it nearly caused her lose her balance, as it is she was forced to retreat several steps.

Without letting up Clarisse pushed forward with her attack, Alex blocked a few before a particularly vicious thrust finally caused her to lose her balance and soon she was on her back.

"Next." Clarisse called for a new opponent.

"No." Alex stood up using her blade for leverage. "Again."

Clarisse stared at her. Before something like respect flashed in her eyes as she took her stance again.

The second time didn't go any better than the first time, neither the third or fourth time for that matter. By the fifth time she could barely keep to her feet, panting and sweating. Her arms were aching now with the weight of the shield, her vision was getting blurry too.

"You're done kid." Clarisse said. "Go take a break and come back tomorrow."

Seeing her looking down on her, Alex got to her feet again, wiping the sweat from her forehead she dropped the shield and retook her stance. The observers all gaped at this act. Clarisse looked scandalized.

Calming herself down she visualized the attack she had seen last night. How the boy had fluidly moved inside the Minotaur's guard to stab at its neck. Carisse charged again.

The world slowed. She was going for an overhead strike. They had been taught that when facing a charging opponent, you retreat if they are stronger than you and try look for openings. But she was exhausted, she couldn't let this go on. Clarisse was stronger than her. She couldn't trade sword strikes with her nor could she allow her to chase her across the field.

She couldn't win if she stayed on the defensive.

When Clarisse was barely three steps away, she stepped forward inside the arc of her swing.

A deathly silence engulfed the entire field. All the campers were gaping at the spectacle in front of them. Clarisse was standing still, her blade mid-swing Alex's blade at her throat.

Soon the campers broke into spontaneous applause. Clarisse looked thunderstruck.

"I... won."

* * *

Percy brought his hammer hard on the wall as he chipped away at it. Sweat, grime and dust layered his skin. A horn sounded indicated the end of their shift.

Percy wiped away the grime away from his face.

"Yo Perce, we are going for drinks. You coming?" George one of his co-workers said.

"Thanks guys, but I have somewhere to be." Percy declined his workmate politely.

"Okay maybe next time." George conceded.

Everyday he was invited and he everyday he would decline. But today he had his reasons. He was going to visit his mother after all.

A shower and a change of clothes later Percy was in the subway, whiling away time of the journey, lost in his thoughts. It had been two years since that day. For a long time after that he had been lost.

He was angry, yes. Very angry as a matter of fact. But more than that it was guilt and grief. Grief at his loss and guilt at his failure to save her. It had gotten so bad at one point that he had dropped completely off the grid.

Those were extremely turbulent times for him. He had started living in the streets, gotten into street gangs, drugs and alcohol you name it. His life had become a cycle of violence.

But he had gotten out. The grief was still there but the bitterness was now replaced with indifference.

Putting his hands in his pockets he felt Riptide still there. He had tried to get rid of it. But no matter where he threw it or how hard he tried to get rid of it, the pen always came back.

There was a time when he stopped wearing trousers with pockets. One monster attack was all it had taken to go back down that road.

When he came out of his thoughts he saw an old lady standing near where he was sitting. Standing up he offered his seat to the woman who thanked him graciously. Percy returned her show of gratitude with a smile.

Half-an hour later Percy was standing in front of a house. Hesitating only for a second he knocked. It wasn't long before it was opened by a middle-aged bespectacled man with salt and pepper hair.

"Percy. My boy. How have you been?" He said genially pulling him in a hug.

Percy couldn't help but smile as he returned the hug.

"Hello Paul." He greeted his stepfather. "I have been good."

"Come in." Paul invited him in. The house was exactly as he remembered. He was grateful for that. It was one place where his memories didn't hurt him anymore. He had Paul to thank for that.

He was the one after all to bring him out of his funk, even when he was grieving his own loss. He knew Paul didn't approve of working as a construction worker believing him to be capable of so much more. But he didn't give him a hard time about it either.

Paul had waited for him to arrive before he started preparing dinner. It was a ritual they followed as it gave them a chance to talk and bond.

"So how's the school going?" Percy said making conversation.

"Oh its going great. We will have a new debate team soon. I can tell you I have never had brighter prospects." Paul began excitedly.

Percy smiled good naturedly at Paul's enthusiasm. It was one of the things which made him such a good teacher.

"What about you Percy? What have you been up to?" Paul asked his stepson.

"Not much to tell. The usual." Percy replied washing the stirring the soup while he did.

"You know you can go back to school." Paul began tentatively.

"I need more time."

"I promised your mother I would take care of you. Somehow I feel I have failed in that regard." Paul sighed.

"No, you haven't Paul. Trust me you did take care of me. Its just that right now is not a good time."

"Are you having nightmares again?" Paul asked him.

Percy nodded.

"Something's coming, I can feel it in my bones." Percy said solemnly.

* * *

Percy returned to his home the next morning. He had taken the day off work. It was the day when he and Paul visited his mother's grave. She had died in a car accident during the Giant War.

He couldn't even say goodbye to her, missing her funeral, as he was in Tartarus at that time.

As if he needed any other reason to hate his old life.

Fumbling with the keys to his apartment he spied a presence close to approaching him from behind, acting fast he uncapped riptide and flashed it at his unseen enemy stopping an inch from their throat.

Tilting his head curiously he studied her. She had auburn hair and a tanned heart-shaped face. She looked about sixteen and was dressed in orange Camp-Half Blood T-shirt and jeans. It was the girl he had saved the other day.

But it was her eyes which froze him in place.

They were a stormy gray. Despite her nervousness at having a blade placed over her throat she swallowed audibly and managed.

"Hey. I am sorry to drop in like this. I am Alex Walker. Daughter of Athena."

**Okay so that's the second chapter done. Things are a little slow at the moment, but they will pick up I promise. This chapter was necessary to give some sort of background as to what happened, and going into the reasons for Percy's bitterness and expanding Alex's character a bit. So, that's done. Don't forget to review and tell me what you think so far! And those of you who like tales of assassins and mysteries check out my Naruto modern day AU Project Konoha.**

**Until next time.**

**Peace Out!**


	3. Point of No Return

**Point of No Return**

Alex spent the entire night tossing and turning in her bed. It was because of the events earlier in the day. The rush she had felt in the middle of the battle. The way she felt invincible after being beaten four consecutive times. She remembered how calm she felt when Clarisse went for that overhead strike. She knew exactly what to do after that.

It was almost as if she could see the future. Though she couldn't repeat the performance in the subsequent spars, which Clarisse insisted on having, leaving her sore and in pain for the rest of the day. So much so that she missed the rest of the activities.

Despite everything she had never been this amped up in her life. She needed to know how to bring out that feeling again. She needed to know what he knew.

After a sleepless night she left the camp first thing in the morning, before any of the other campers had woken up. Though she didn't notice a pair of eyes following her out.

Thankfully she knew where to find him. One of the perks of being the daughter of Athena was photographic memory. An hour and a half ride by subway and another 15 minutes by foot she found herself standing in front of the apartment complex where he lived.

It was a worn down place in probably one of the worst parts of the city. On her way there she was leered down by the regular street punks.

"Hey babe. Why don't you join us and we can show you a good time."

"Come on don't be like that, I am sure we can have fun."

Must not break their teeth, must not break their teeth. Alex kept chanting in her head. She couldn't afford to get into trouble. She needed to find him.

Approaching the Super's office, she wasn't surprised to see a middle-aged man dressed in a vest and boxers, stinking of beer at 9 AM.

"What do you want?" He said gruffly.

"I am here to meet one of your tenants. He lives in 312."

"312 eh? What would you want with him? You a relative? Friend? Cause let me tell you girl he doesn't have either. If he does they don't visit him here." The man yawned loudly. "Moreover he isn't here today."

"What?" Alex couldn't help herself. "When will he be back?"

"No clue."

She couldn't believe it. After coming all the way and he wasn't even here. She could back, but considering the trouble she would get in if she went back and she may not be allowed to go out again. No, she had to see this through. If she had to wait here all day and night, she would do so.

* * *

She saw him come up the stairs and fiddle with the key. Another sleepless night this better be worth it. Though now her neck was killing her. She was cold and sore from last night.

Not sure how to go about this she approached him from behind, intending on calling him out, and before she could so much as blink she found a blade barely an inch from her neck. She didn't even have time to get scared... Scratch that... Her brain was terrified, but her mouth had yet to catch up and the words she had been intending on addressing him with came out.

"Hey. I am sorry to drop in like this. I am Alex Walker. Daughter of Athena."

The boy stared at her for a while not moving, Alex gulped audibly. She took this chance to study him. He was tall and tanned. Dressed in a gray hoodie and jeans he looked like those street kids. He was obviously very well built, not overly large though. His green eyes looked alert. She would say he was good-looking if it weren't for the scary aura he was radiating.

She got similar feeling when she had met her mother. The aura of power she radiated had her skin itching.

She almost sighed in relief when he withdrew the blade from her neck and relaxed.

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?" He drawled in a lazy tone unlocking the door to his apartment and getting in, Alex followed him inside. "What do you want?"

"I came to thank you for that night." Alex said. Well that wasn't the reason she came at all. But she was beginning to lose her nerve. So in preparation of building up to it, she blurted out the first thing that came to her mind.

"Gratitude accepted, now get out of here." The boy stated bluntly. Geez he sure was a jerk.

"Umm.. Nice place you got here." She bit her tongue at that. She had a habit of ranting when she was nervous.

The boy ignored her and placed a kettle on a gas stove at the corner of the apartment, now ignoring her. She sat on the only chair in the apartment. The apartment itself was bare bones. Just the essentials.

One table, a chair, couple of utensils and a futon with a blanket in the corner of the room.

"Would you like some coffee?" He asked her.

"What?" She was totally nonplussed.

"I asked you if you would like some coffee."

"Yeah sure." She finally said, not sure where this was going.

Handing her a cup he sat down on the futon with a cup of his own.

"What do you want? The truth this time." He fixed her with a stern glare.

Alex sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot today.

"I need you to teach me how to fight." She said rapidly before she lost her nerve again.

Percy didn't know what he had been expecting when he asked the girl to tell him what she wanted. But this wasn't it. She wanted him to teach her how to fight.

"Come again?"

The girl took a deep breath and said, this time with more conviction.

"I want to learn how to fight from you."

Percy really didn't know what to say to that. To say he was caught off-guard would have been an understatement. But he soon formed the most eloquent response he could to the request.

"No."

* * *

"Alex is missing." Malcolm informed Chiron. "The whole cabin is in uproar."

Chiron didn't take this as badly as Malcolm was expecting him to take it.

"I am getting a search party ready." He informed the Centaur, who just looked at him benignly.

"Don't bother." Chiron told the Athena counselor.

"What?" Malcolm was surprised at his disinterest. "But she may have been kidnapped." Unlikely as that was. It had happened.

"She wasn't kidnapped."

"Then where is she?" Malcolm was getting more and more agitated.

"She is doing what she thinks she needs to do." Chiron said cryptically.

"You mean she went out of her own free will and you let her? How could you?"

"Calm yourself Malcolm." Chiron ordered. He didn't raise his voice, but his tone brooked no argument and Malcolm knew he had gone too far. To even insinuate that Chiron didn't care about the campers was blasphemous.

"I apologize." He mumbled.

Chiron nodded accepting his apology. "I know you're distraught. But you need to have faith in her." The loss of Annabeth had hit the camp hard. It had been even harder for the Athena cabin. The loss of another member, even a relatively new one, would be devastating.

"Rest assured she is in good hands."

Malcolm looked a little bewildered, but seemed to accept the centaur's decision. He bowed once and left him alone once more.

This wasn't an undesirable turn of events. The camp needed him. But he won't come back of his own accord. Maybe this is what is needed. Maybe Alex can be the catalyst in the bigger scheme of things.

* * *

Alex gaped at him. She hadn't expected him to agree, but she hadn't expected an outright no either.

"What do you mean no?"

"Exactly what I said. I can't help you." He said.

"But why not?" Alex said exasperated.

"I don't see why I should. Isn't that why you go to camp." Percy said.

"But I have never seen anyone fight the way you do." She said trying to explain her position. "It was like you knew what that monster was going to do. I want to be like that."

He gazed at her, his expression unfathomable.

"You don't know what you're asking." He finished his coffee in one long drought and then retreated to the bathroom. When he came out he was dressed in his work clothes. "Go back to camp Alex. Trust me you don't want to be like me."

Alex was caught off-guard by his response. She had been expecting an argument, but he was only trying to dissuade her. He really didn't want her to be like him.

Well she was having none of that. She quickly followed him out.

"I am ready to do whatever I need to do." She said trying to keep up with his long strides.

"And again I am saying you have no idea what you're asking. Isn't Athena, your mom the Goddess of Wisdom. Do the wise thing."

The last statement left her speechless. Yes, Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. She was expected to do the wise thing. Maybe being like him wasn't the wise thing to do.

* * *

The rest of the day went slow for Percy. Of all the people, she had to be Athena's. He wanted to scream his frustration to the Gods. He had asked to be left alone damn it. Couldn't they honor one request.

No, they couldn't. Granted they left him alone themselves, but apparently the oath didn't cover other demigods.

Damned Technicalities.

The rest of the day went by, and he didn't see the girl again. Good she probably went away. He didn't need that headache anymore. He had cut off his ties and he had made his peace with it.

When he came back to his apartment that evening, he was surprised to see Alex looking disheveled and out of breath waiting outside his complex. What had the girl gotten up to?

When she saw him again that evening, she couldn't help smirking at him. She was taking a big gamble with this. The plan she had come up with was totally insane. Nothing borderline about it.

But she if she pulled it off she would have what she wanted. It had taken her some time to attract the monsters. Funny how they showed up at the most inconvenient of times, but when you were actively seeking them you would be hard pressed to find one.

They should be on her any moment now.

"You are still here?" He asked her.

"I am in trouble." She said. "I need your help."

"Haven't we been over this already?"

At that moment three hell hounds leapt out of the darkness growling furiously.

Percy sighed in exasperation. "Is this what you're going to do now? Do you have a death wish?"

"You can help me, you know." Alex faced him, ignoring the hounds behind her.

"And what if I said no?" He challenged.

"Well I suppose then that's that. But if you teach me you won't have to keep protecting me." She said as if making a deal. "Of course you can always choose to walk away. You don't even know me after all."

Percy gritted his teeth. The hellhounds charged, celestial bronze flashed and the monsters dissolved in dust, their essence returning to Tartarus.

Alex remained unmoved as she stared at the visage of death and destruction in front of her, who then broke into laughter at the girl's sheer audacity. In that moment he looked more demonic than the monsters she had faced.

"You have made your choice girl. Hope you can live with it." He said ominously.

She nodded resolutely. There was no turning back now.

**Well there you have it folks. Thanks to everyone who subscribed, reviewed and favorited this story. That's what a writer's muse is. Attention from his readers.**

**Until next time.**


	4. The Art of Battling Monsters

**A/N:- Okay guys welcome to another chapter of A Hero's Fate. I am back from my minor hiatus and back with a bang. Thanks to all the reviewers and subscribers of this story. Anyway enough of that and on with the show.**

**The Art of Battling Monsters**

Percy wasn't quite sure what made him accept her request. Probably the fact that she would have allowed herself to be eaten by monsters at his front yard had something to do with it.

The girl had followed him to his apartment after her forced rescue. He would just have to see how this goes.

"Aren't you going to be missed in the camp?" Percy questioned the girl who had now taken her place in the sole couch in the room.

"They are probably looking for me right now." Alex replied casually.

"And you thought it was a good idea to come here without informing anyone. I thought your mother was the Goddess of Wisdom." Percy retorted.

Alex's face heated up at his insinuation.

"I did think this through you know. This is the last place they would look." Alex defended herself.

"Why are you here kid?" Percy fired another question.

Alex gulped audibly as she met his glare, not even able to show her indignation to him addressing her as a kid. Standing there still in his work clothes filled with sweat and grime, he cut a very intimidating figure indeed. Not even Jason Grace who was the Praetor of the Roman camp could manage this. With his dark brooding looks and sea-green eyes he must have broken a heart or two back in the day, which was funny considering he couldn't have been older than nineteen. But the long hours in the sun, coupled with years of questing made him look older.

"I told you. I want you to teach me." She said.

"You left the camp which was teaching you how to fight monsters to take lessons from a washout like me? You know you're not exactly making a very good case for yourself." Percy retorted.

"Because it wasn't helping me okay. The most we did was learn the theory on monsters and the closest we came to fighting them were sparring sessions with Clarisse. I saw you fight. You really look like you know what you're doing." She said with more than a hint of impatience in her voice. "Its just that its the outside world where the monsters are. I need to know if I can survive out there." She concluded in a soft voice.

A tense silence followed this. Percy's face went through a myriad of emotions. Astonishment, anger, pain and grief before settling on its usual hardened glare making Alex think if she had said something wrong all her instincts screaming at her to run away without looking back but she held her ground.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally sighed.

"There are some waffles in the fridge, you are welcome to help yourself to them. You can take the couch. We begin tomorrow."

Percy checked his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His grip on the sink tightening, while he cursed the Gods. The cosmos seemed to love having fun at his cost.

_"Its the real world where the monsters are. Where you know if you're any good."_ Those words spoken to him so long ago came back to haunt him again. He should have kicked her out then and there just to spite the Gods. He was sure they had something to do with this.

But despite everything he couldn't bring himself to do it. And he wasn't sure why.

His frustrations finally getting the better of him he punched the mirror shattering it.

* * *

As soon as Percy closed the door to the bathroom, Alex let go of a breath she wasn't sure she was holding. She hadn't been on edge this long in a while. When she looked down at her hands she could see them shaking.

What was that all about?

Well at least he was nice enough to offer her the couch. It was then that the realization hit her that she was sharing an apartment with a boy. A good-looking one at that too. But before her thoughts strayed any farther she shook her head dispelling them. Exhausted from the exertions of the last few days she fell into a fitful sleep.

_She was sitting in what she guessed was the back of a truck, loaded with animals. She couldn't quite make out the letters over the top of the board either._

_There was a black haired boy maybe 12 years of age sitting next to her. There was a satyr there too, snoring away._

_"Does that ring belong to your father?" He asked her._

_To her surprise she found that she had been fingering a camp-half blood necklace. But this clearly wasn't hers. For one this one had 4 beads whereas she had only been to camp for 3 years, and hers didn't have a college ring._

_"That's none of your business." She snapped at the boy._

_The boy pulled back as if shocked. Seeing the hurt look on his face she relented and told him about how her father and stepmother didn't get along with her. How they didn't understand the life of a half-blood. The boy listened patiently and even gave her valid reasons why her father may have acted the way he did._

_He told her about how his mother married a horrible man just so she could hide his scent from monsters and maybe that's what her dad was trying to do._

_Her earlier irritation with the boy seemed to disappear as she began to see him in a new light._

_"Good night seaweed brain."_

_The scene changed. She wasn't paying attention to the surroundings this time._

_"If the battle lines are drawn, what would the sides be?" The same black-haired boy mused aloud._

_"I don't know, but I will be fighting next to you." She said with conviction. This boy had earned her loyalty and she would see this through to whatever end it led to._

_"Why?" The boy asked mystified._

_"Because we're friends seaweed brain." She rolled her eyes. "Any more stupid questions."_

* * *

The shrill ringing of an alarm clock shattered through her dreams. Feeling groggy she pushed herself up. The clock read 5:30 AM.

Why would she set the alarm at 5:30 in the morning? Alex wasn't the most coherent person in the morning so it took her a while to realize that she wasn't in camp.

What was that dream all about?

The thing is, it didn't feel like a dream at all.

It felt like a...memory.

The only thing she was sure of, was that the memory wasn't hers.

She had been told about these dreams. Rachel the oracle had told her not to ignore them. Sometimes they can be just as useful as the prophecies she gave out. But this was the first time she had them and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Rise and shine sleepy-head." A voice broke into her thoughts. Turning her gaze towards the source she was greeted by the sight of Percy dressed in his work-clothes and ready for the day, now in the process of breaking some eggs. His hair looked wet obviously from a shower he had just taken.

"How do you like your eggs?" He called out.

"Scrambled." She replied.

"You can use the bathroom if you want. The warm water will stay for maybe another half-an hour. You can take a towel from the hamper." He kept a steady stream of instructions while working.

She glided into the bathroom after grabbing a towel like she had been told. After a hot shower and a change of clothes she had the foresight to bring from camp she found herself sitting at the table shoveling eggs into her mouth downing it with a glass of milk.

"Before we proceed, I would like to lay some ground rules." He began in a no-nonsense tone. "Since you will be living here until we find something different, I will expect you to do certain things."

Hearing this Alex's imagination went into overdrive. What did he mean by that? Is he one of those perverted guys who would expect 'favors' from her.

What had she gotten herself into? Maybe if she managed to pull off a surprise she could make a run for it before he realized.

"I am not running a charity house, so I won't be supporting freeloaders." He continued.

Holy Zeus she knew it. He was a sick man, who would be using her.

"So, I expect you to get a job. I heard the local diner is looking for new waitresses. You can start there or you can find whatever you want."

"Say what?" Came Alex's eloquent response.

Percy rolled his eyes. "I said I am not burning my hard earned cash to feed you. If you are going to live here you will have to pull your own weight around."

Blessed relief. That's what he meant. He wasn't a sick pervert after all. Maybe a bit of an ass perhaps, but definitely not a pervert. So she would just have to earn her own cash. Something she would have done anyway, even if she hadn't thought about it yet.

"That's not a problem I hope?" He said studying her gaping visage.

"No..Not a problem at all." She manged to stammer out a response.

"Good. Then you will be doing the dishes." He said getting up and placing his own in the sink. That's when she noticed his left hand was wrapped in bandages. Something which wasn't there when last night.

"What happened to your hand?" She asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Nothing that concerns you." Came the dry reply.

Yeah, definitely an ass.

10 minutes later she was busy running orders in the local diner, now dressed in an apron and a skirt. Percy knew the owner and had managed to put a word for her. Most of the customers were construction workers like Percy. Loud and boisterous but nice enough.

Percy had left for work after walking her there. They hadn't talked about how he would be training her. Well she would bring it up once he got back and she ended her shift.

When she finished her shift and came outside the diner, wondering what she would do now, she was surprised to see him leaning casually on a streetlight, evidently waiting for her.

"Hey." She greeted him, who gave a nod in return.

"So are you ready for your first lesson." He asked her.

"Yes." She said a little apprehensive.

"Good. Then lets go."

They walked in silence for a while, before it got too much for her.

"I have heard stories about you, you know." She began. She was expecting a response, but he didn't oblige. "They say you're the greatest demigod of this age. Invincible, powerful...The savior of.."

"Are you done?" Percy interrupted her, before she could continue.

"I am just saying." She said a little timidly. This was a definite sore point for him. "What made you leave camp?" She couldn't help but ask. It was said that he was offered Godhood... Twice. He declined it both times.A veteran of two wars, he had seen everything. He had fought Gods, Titan and Giants somehow prevailed over every one of them. One of the few to return alive from the Underworld and the only one to survive Tartatrus.

He had become a living legend. A man as worthy of respect as the Gods they worshiped, maybe even more so. And here he was living anonymously working as a construction worker. Not the conclusion you would have expected to a life as illustrious as his.

And yet here they were.

"We are here." He finally said. Alex sighed in relief. They had been walking for almost an hour now. Here happened to be an old abandoned factory.

"Where are we?" She asked apprehension tainting her voice.

"School's open kid and consider this your first day field trip." Percy said handing her a 3 foot long celestial bronze blade.

A bellowing roar shattered the silence of the day in conclusion to that statement, followed by a big blur of red. Alex hit the sidewalk hard barely getting away, scraping her hands in the process. Percy fared much better front rolling and sliding to a stop next to her.

The monster which she now realized was a 15 foot cyclops, roared again angry at having missed his meal.

"So, are you going to fight the cyclops and show me how to defeat it?" Alex asked him.

"Nope. You will be fighting him."

What? Alex was sure her brain short-circuited. He expected her to fight that thing. Was he crazy?

She wasn't given the chance to think as the cyclops stomped towards them again, trying to crush them underneath his feet.

Alex was ready this time and managed to dodge the stomping feet of the monsters.

"Remember, almost all the monsters you face will be stronger than you, bigger than you and faster than you." Percy instructed while dodging a fist. "But remember you will always be smarter than them."

Despite everything that was happening Alex hung on to every word. He was right she realized. The calm tone of his voice had squashed her panic.

Her brain ran a million miles a minute as it fished for all the info it had regarding cyclops. They ranked among the toughest monsters in existence and were extremely hard to kill.

Their only weakness was their eye.

Solution. Stab the eye. The what was simple enough. The how... not so much. Looking around she saw some drums of coal tar near the western wall of the factory,

Her mind finally came upon a plan.

"Hey ugly." She shouted diverting the monster's attention away from Percy who had been keeping it busy by darting around dodging its blows.

The cyclops turned around now homing on the new target. Bellowing he charged again. Alex broke into a run leading the cyclops near the drums.

The monster swung its fist around trying to hit the girl smashing the drums in the process, the thick liquid pooling around its feet making it harder to move. Backing herself she suddenly charged the monster.

The cyclops probably confused by the sheer dumbness of the idea of being charged by a puny human barely third his size reacted a little too slow allowing Alex to roll between his out of danger.

As soon as she had put some distance between herself and the monster she struck the pavement with the tip of her blade creating a spark setting the cyclops on fire.

She watched grimly as it disintegrated its essence returning to Tartarus.

Sheathing her blade she turned around to face her impromptu teacher, his face expressionless.

"Lesson one complete."

**And there you have it folks. Hope you enjoyed it. I might have taken a few liberties here and there. And do forgive me if the dream sequence isn't exactly accurate. I was writing from memory. Anyway don't forget to leave a line.**

**Until next time**


	5. Memories

**Memories**

Alex was angry.

No, scratch that. She was absolutely livid. How dare he just expect her to face a cyclops? Was he crazy?

The answer to that was probably yes.

She stormed away from him. The smarter part of her wondered if she was acting a little juvenile. But that part was losing out to her angrier more juvenile counterpart.

"You're going the wrong way." Came the dry voice of Percy trailing behind her.

"I don't want to see you right now, you jerk! Leave me alone." She snarled in response, though frankly speaking she hadn't realized it when she walked in the wrong direction.

Percy casually walked up to her and fell into a stride next to her.

"Can't leave you alone. The state you're in you will get yourself killed." Percy stated matter of factly.

"Oh so now you care! You didn't seem to have a problem throwing e to the wolves a few minutes ago when that cyclops was trying to do its best trying to tear me up limb to limb." She tried to put as much venom as she could in her words.

Percy let her rant. He understood her reaction. She had just been in a deathmatch against a cyclops, she was naturally keyed up, the adrenalin making her aggressive, and it didn't look like she would be stopping anytime soon.

"Arm yourself." Percy blocked her way, drawing out Riptide. Eyes flashing dangerously she tried to sidestep him, but Percy wasn't having any of it.

"I said arm yourself." Percy said again.

Alex merely glared at him, folding her arms underneath her chest.

"Arm yourself or I am going to cut you down where you stand."

"I don't believe you are going to kill an unarmed opponent." Alex retorted.

"Trust me it would be a kindness compared to what the monsters would do to you, so I will ask you just one more time. Arm yourself."

Alex looked for any signs of bluffing in Percy's face. She found none. He meant what he said. Drawing her blade she used the motion of her blade to execute a slash.

Percy avoided the slash easily by stepping back. She tried a thrust next. Percy casually sidestepped the attack and hit her butt with the back of his blade getting a yelp out of Alex.

"Again." He shouted. Alex turned around, her cheeks flaming up in anger and embarrassment. She charged again with a scream keeping a stream of attacks on the boy.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't touch him. He seemed to be playing with her. His eyes never losing their cool. Blocking an overhead strike, he closed the distance between them and grabbed her left arm, twisting it behind her back.

"Never let your opponent dictate the pace of your battle." He whispered in her ear, before shoving her away roughly. "Again."

They exchanged a few strikes, before a particularly vicious strike sent her sprawling on the ground. She barely kept her hold on her blade. If he had hit any harder she was sure he would have broken her wrist, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Never get into a battle of strengths against a stronger opponent." Percy made a hitherto come again motion with his index and middle finger.

Getting up Alex engaged him again, this time the fight lasted longer. She began analyzing Percy's moves. He was like a coiled serpent, striking when least expected, moving gracefully between strikes.

"Loosen your hold on the blade, let it breathe."

"Don't expose your torso to your opponent."

"Whenever you can take a side stance, make your body a smaller target."

"Never stop moving, and never show your back to your opponent."

Soon all the fury drained from Alex's body, now giving way to a calm lucidity she had never experienced before. She was gaining in confidence in the spar, and was even beginning to gain ground against the boy, getting him to retreat a few steps. Her incessant attacks finally revealed a hole in his guard.

Her eyes lit up. She would get the smug bastard now. Her eyes widened as she realized a little too late that it was a trap. He had left the gap open on purpose. The next moment his sword locked with the hilt of her sword, a thrust later her blade cluttered to the ground., with his blade on her chin.

"And the most importantly never...ever underestimate your opponent."

Alex was panting heavily, that was the most intense spar she ever had, but apart from a sheen of sweat covering his brow, Percy looked unaffected.

Percy capped his blade which turned into a ball-point pen and began walking away.

Alex stared at his back for a few moments, before sighing and following him.

Percy opened the door to a diner. The same one she worked in now, holding the door for Alex. She hesitated before finally getting in. He sure was a gentleman.

Percy made his way to a booth near the corner of the diner, Alex took a seat opposite him, a nervous tension surrounding them.

One of the waitresses came to take their order, throwing them funny looks. Alex assumed with the kind of day she had, she probably didn't look her best. Her hair was disheveled and she smelled of smoke.

Percy calmly gave his order, before giving a questioning glance at Alex, who after some consideration ordered some steak and mashed potatoes. She was hungry and she had a long day, so excuse her if she wanted to indulge in something greasy and fattening.

She had earned herself that much.

They kept sitting in an awkward silence.

"You did well today." Percy finally spoke up.

Alex couldn't believe her ears for a while.

"Come again?"

"I said, you did well."

"And that makes everything alright?" The familiar rush of anger threatening to overcome her, but with no adrenalin fueling it, she was able to calm down.

"You came to me. You wanted to learn from me. You wanted to know what was out there. You wanted to see the real world didn't you?" Percy retorted.

Alex was stumped. Suddenly her anger didn't seem justified at all.

"If you expected to be waxing cars or painting fences, sorry to disappoint, but I am no Mr. Miyagi. There is no easing your way into our world. Its either sink or swim. Every second out there you will be fighting for your lives and the life of your friends. Make no mistake kid, you're a demigod, this is what your life will always be. You didn't ask for it, I know and it sucks, but life never said it would be fair."

Alex was dumbstruck by his words. They were spoken flatly without an ounce of bitterness or anger, which hit her all the more harder.

"You said I threw you to the wolves. Now this may come as news to you, but actually you were born to them." Percy said.

Alex gasped at his implication.

"You don't disrespect the Gods." She half-expected Percy to vaporize in front of her eyes.

"Well, they can do their worst for all I care. I am immune anyway." He said with casual nonchalance.

That last part intrigued Alex. Why was he immune? But she had a more pressing question at the moment.

"Why do you hate the gods so much?"

"Why are you so angry all the time?" He countered.

"I am not angry all the time." She said irritably. "And don't change the subject."

"Sorry, that was my way of telling you that its none of your business." Percy threw his hands up in the air in exaggerated exasperation. "God you're the dumbest Athena kid I know."

She could feel her anger rising again, but before she could do anything about it, their food arrived. Alex ate like a girl possessed, shewing her food quickly, without pausing, while downing glass after glass of juice.

"You know the cow you're eating is dead and won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Percy commented dryly.

Alex swallowed her food hastily, before turning on him. "Just what the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing, except you're putting me off my food. You've got the table manners of a Minotaur."

"Well, I am hungry. so sue me."

Percy raised his hands in mock surrender and focused on his own food.

15 minutes later, they were back in the apartment. Percy made his way into the shower, when he came out, toweling his hair dressed in a gray shirt and blue pajamas, leaving his arms bare, and the scars on them visible.

It looked like something had clawed them and Alex found herself staring at them with a morbid fascination, when she realized that Percy caught her staring.

Alex quickly averted her eyes.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Occupational hazard of being a demigod." He said as a way of explanation. "I have talked to the landlord, he will have an apartment for you in this complex soon. The rent won't be too bad either. You can afford it on your wages."

"Thanks." Alex mumbled, a little flustered by his thoughtfulness. "Why go through all the trouble though?"

"Well I want my apartment to myself. Isn't that obvious?"

Well he may be an ass about it, but he was thoughtful, he hid it well behind a veneer of sarcasm and bitter comments, but he was thoughtful.

After a shower she saw Percy had already fallen asleep, one arm to his side and the other over his forehead. His breathing was deep and easy, his mouth slightly open.

She had to admit, without that constant frown marring his face, he was a very good-looking guy. But with a growing unease she realized that for some reason he looked really familiar.

Why was that?

God she felt like a stalker staring at a sleeping guy. Must be all those damn vampire novels. Turning around she lay down on the couch and fell into a fitful sleep.

_"Come on Seaweed Brain the fireworks are about to start." She shouted to the boy who was trailing behind her. The boy seemed to be struggling holding a rug under one arm and a picnic basket under another._

_"You could have helped you know." Groused the boy, setting the rug down._

_"Yeah, but where would be the fun in that. You're the guy after all. You're supposed to do all the heavy lifting." She laughed at her black-haired friend._

_"Weren't you all about girl power at capture the flag?"_

_"Yeah, but that was then and this is now." She said causing the boy to mumble something about double standards._

_They sat on top of Half-Blood hill, having the best view of all. She could see the campers gathering in the diner's pavilion to watch the fireworks. A few of the campers had the same idea they did and decided to perch themselves on the hill, but they were few and far between to give them some privacy._

_She turned her head to look at the boy sitting next to her. He wore a calm relaxed smile, enjoying the evening. She wished he would hold her hand. Then he turned his head to gaze at her, and her heart skipped a beat before deciding to run a marathon._

_His eyes always did that to her. So warm and deep. She could lose herself in his eyes. Before she knew it, they were gravitating towards each other, their faces leaning towards each other._

_She could feel his breath on her lips. He smelled of mint and something else she couldn't put her finger on._

_BOOM!_

_The fireworks had started, causing both of them to break away. She could see the faint red on his cheeks, she imagined her face was about equally red. And just like that the moment was lost. She could see the wry smile playing on his lips._

_She herself felt a little disappointed. They didn't face each other, choosing to watch the fireworks instead. _

_This had gotten a little awkward. But then the boy slipped his hand into hers and just like that, it was alright again. She was having a hard time stopping the smile spreading on her face now._

_This would be a good night after all._

She woke up. This time she was aware of where she was unlike last time. The clock read 3:30 AM. She dreamt was different than last time, but it was the same boy, like last time, a little older, but still shorter than her dream self.

Again this dream felt like a memory.

She remembered the boy's warmth and her own strong reaction to it. Even though she was sure she didn't know the boy.

Just what the hell was going on?

She tried to go back to sleep, but after fifteen minutes of floundering about she gave up. Her body was still sore and tired from the activities of the previous day, but her mind was running a million miles a minute.

She got up from the couch and fished inside her bag, taking out a notepad and some pencils.

Taking a blade she sharpened on of her pencils and started sketching the Manhattan Skyline. She had a photographic memory and it wasn't hard for her to get the sketch down without problems.

Whenever she felt agitated sketching helped her. It calmed her down and focused her mind. Her father was a painter and quite a talented one at that.

That's what caught Athena's interest.

She still remembered her first set of crayons which her dad had gifted her for her 3rd birthday. She had spent the rest of the day using them on her coloring book.

Things were so simple back then.

"That's pretty impressive." Percy's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

"Stop sneaking up on people." She said her hand on her chest over her heart.

"Stop being so unaware of your surroundings." Percy said with a scoff. "Like I was saying, those were pretty good."

Alex calmed down after a couple of minutes and muttered a thanks.

"My father taught me how to draw. I guess as a child of Athena I am supposed to create things." She never got to finish things as at that moment Percy stormed out of the apartment.

Leaving her alone and confused.

**Okay guys another chapter done. I received a review showing concern about the speed of my updates. Well I try to do my best. I was MIA due to a death in the family. I will be updating more frequently however until further notice.**

**Anyway keep the reviews coming. They are the bread and butter of a writer after all.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**Until next time**

**Peace out!**


	6. Conditions

**Hey guys welcome to another chapter of A Hero's Fate. Am happy with the response this story has garnered so far. The reviews have been encouraging and this story is well on its way to becoming my most popular one yet. So on that note, would like to thank all the reviewers and subscribers of the story. Just keep them coming and I will do my best to not disappoint.**

**Conditions**

"Just what the hell is his problem?" Alex thought to herself. He was a bigger drama queen the girls from the Aphrodite Camp. With them at least you would know what the drama was about.

The shallow beauties had little imagination outside of boys, beauty or fashion. In one way or the other the drama revolved around these three.

But not only did he have to be a drama queen he had to be a complicated one too. What did she know about him? He was a sarcastic jerk alright, but his barbs held no malice she could tell. He was bitter and didn't seem like a big fan of the Olympians.

Well to be honest she wasn't either. But his problems ran a lot deeper than that. But despite everything she had to admit the guy knew his stuff. But then you don't survive two wars without gaining something in return. His skills went beyond knowing how to hold a sword or how to defeat a monster.

He knew how to survive. The smarts which could never be gained slashing up training dummies or hitting the bull's eyes on stationary targets. The smarts earned in the heat of battle, most of the time against opponents who could destroy you with a flick of their fingers.

So despite how angry she had been when he had thrown her to the wolves, she could understand why he did it. The best way to prepare for life and death situations was to put yourself in those situations.

Fear and courage like the muscles in her body could be conditioned. So despite his sarcastic comments and his bitter demeanor she would learn everything he has to teach.

She studied her sketch of the Manhattan skyline. That brought her to the dream she had last night.

It was a scene straight out of a romance novel or one of those sappy movies. But incredibly sweet. In the dream she remembered her feelings for the boy next to her being really... intense.

It was both order and chaos.

Fire and ice.

But then she felt like slapping herself over her head. She didn't even know the boy. And the girl certainly didn't feel like her.

When she finally broke out of her thoughts she realized she had been running her pencil unconsciously.

She gasped as she realized she had drawn the boy against the background of the fireworks laden sky.

Percy worked like a man possessed. For the first time in a long time his hands got blistered. He welcomed the pain, even embraced it.

This pain he could handle. He didn't want to stop. He couldn't stop. If he stopped it would catch up to him again. And he wouldn't escape if it did.

"_Athena expects her children to build and create unlike a certain sea-god I must add._"

Gritting his teeth he went through the rest of his day, letting the monotony of his work and the pain of his limbs carry him on.

Alex had finished her shift at the diner and was now sitting in Percy's apartment. He was running late. He should have been here an hour ago. She again wondered what she had done to offend him.

And she came up with nothing.

Was he attacked by monsters? It was possible, but she didn't think there were many monsters out there who posed a serious threat to him.

With nothing better to do she decided to look around the apartment. Not that there was much to look at. The guy lived like a monk. Only the bare necessities.

Then a stray thought entered her mind.

Wonder if he has a girlfriend.

She banished the thought as soon as it came. He wouldn't be so stuck up if he had a girlfriend. There weren't anything personal in the apartment. No photographs, no mementos, not even proof of identity.

The unlocking of the door put a stop to her investigations then and there. She turned to the boy as he opened the tiny refrigerators, one of the few luxuries he allowed himself, opened a bottle of water and emptied more than half of it in one go.

"Hey!" She began awkwardly.

Percy nodded in acknowledgement. Walking up to her he dropped a pair of keys next to her, catching her by surprise.

"What are these?" She asked, a little bewildered.

"Keys to your new apartment. You're on the floor above me. The apartment number is on the keys."

"Aren't we going monster hunting?"

"Not tonight, we aren't." Seeing her raise an eyebrow Percy rolled his eyes. "Your body needs time to recover from the stress it underwent. That's monster fighting 101."

"Are you kicking me out?" Alex sounded a little offended. "Was it something I said?"

"No I just don't want people asking questions about why I am living with an unrelated minor." Percy explained patiently. "I thought we talked about this."

Alex wasn't sure why she was arguing about this. It was the best case scenario. She wouldn't have to share the apartment with him, she could have her privacy without constantly being in his intimidating presence.

Why was she fighting with him again?

She supposed it was because, it felt like she had offended him in some way, when she hadn't been trying to.

"Can you tell me what your problem is?" She finally snapped at him.

Her outburst clearly caught him by surprise and for a second he just glared at her. And almost immediately she began having second thoughts.

Just what was she thinking? Why couldn't she just say thank you and be on her way?

But she couldn't do it? She deserved an explanation for the he had been behaving. And by the Gods she was going to get it, if she had to fight for it.

With time bones healed and bruises faded anyway.

"Excuse me?" The tone had been flat, without inflection and scary as hell.

She could still back away, apologize for her outburst and forget this ever happened. That would be the smart thing to do.

"I said just what the hell is your problem?"

Yeah she wasn't feeling all that smart at the moment.

"What makes you think I have a problem?" Percy asked a little bewildered.

"Where should I start?" She began. "Ever since you've met me, you have been a total jerk to me. Yes you saved my life and I am grateful for that, but then after I convince you to take me in."

"By threatening to become monster chow." Percy interrupted her.

"You throw me in a death match against a cyclops."

"Which you survived."

"Then you proceeded to beat me up." Alex was on a roll now.

"You make me sound like some sort of abuser." Percy said in a resentful tone.

"Then you leave me hanging in your apartment after a casual conversation and you top it all off by coming back, acting like nothing happened and now you're trying to kick me out." She concluded and proceeded to fold her hands over her chest.

Whatever happens next, it would be totally worth it.

At least that's what she was trying to tell herself.

Percy sighed and made his way to the kitchen cabinet.

"How do you like your coffee?" He asked holding up two mugs.

If Alex was being honest with herself, this wasn't the last reaction she expected. Or when she would have been thinking about this later, the only thing which would have shocked her more would have been him professing his undying love for her.

Not that she wanted him to do that.

"Say what?" Came her eloquent reply.

"I said how would you like your coffee?" Percy repeated himself, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips.

"Black." Alex replied more than a little bewildered.

"Of course you do." Percy sighed audibly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Alex said irritably.

"Look I am not the most social guy around." Percy handed her the cup of coffee.

"That's an understatement." Alex replied scathingly.

Percy glared at her silently for a while.

"I will be good." Alex raised one hand in apology.

"I haven't properly interacted with others in years now. So I may come across as a little abrasive at times." He continued on receiving the pseudo-apology from Alex on interrupting him.

"So, what I am trying to say is... Don't take it personally."

Alex mulled over the words he had just spoken. He hadn't exactly apologized. She hadn't heard the words sorry anywhere in those lines.

But then again a couple of minutes ago, she was sure he would tear her apart limb from limb, compared to that, this was well she really didn't have anything to compare her situation to. To cover up the awkward silence that enveloped them afterwards, she silently took a sip from her mug.

"So what now?" She asked tentatively. Now that she had blown all her courage in that last outburst, she was back to being intimidated by him.

"You're still going to leave the apartment." Percy finished his cup of coffee in a couple of large gulps. "So that means I am still 'kicking you out'. I need my space and I am sure you need yours."

He waited till Alex nodded to say she was okay with it.

"But I will still be helping you out. So, you don't have to worry about that." Percy elaborated.

Alex felt more relieved than she thought she would be.

"For a few conditions."

She knew there had to be a catch. There always were.

"So, what do you want from me?" Alex asked more intrigued than suspicious.

Percy pulled up a chair and sat down, indicating Alex to do the same.

"From now on, you don't question my methods. Now that I have already explained myself, I would rather not do it again."

"Done." Alex said without hesitation.

"You don't get to call on me. I decide when I teach you, so I don't want you banging on my apartment if you haven't seen me in a week, at the same time if I ask you to drag yourself out at 2 in the morning you better be ready by 1:30."

Now he was talking like a director at a military camp, but whatever Alex mused.

"Fine."

"If you have to call on me, it better be because you're on fire set on you by a chimera and if you come to me with anything as silly as a emergency involving unmatched dress to your shoes, I will be feeding you to hellhounds."

Alex glared at him for his barb against her gender. Who did he think she was? A daughter of Aphrodite? But she nodded nevertheless. He did say he was a bit abrasive.

"When you go back, you never talk about me, ever. You remember what I teach you, but you forget me. Got it?" Percy said the last words more grimly than he had when he laid down the other rules.

"And last but not the least, after we part you're never to contact me again, never to look for me and never get others to look for me." He stared right into her eyes while speaking.

Alex looked at him. Overall he wasn't asking for much. She could keep these promises. His requests were reasonable, and she didn't have a problem complying.

Though she had to admit she was a little surprised by his last request. She fully expected him to ask for favors. Have her do things for him.

She hadn't expected him to be left alone. She had to admit she was feeling a bit disappointed, it seemed she had nothing which he would want. Her quick mind dissected the conditions, but she found nothing untoward about his intentions.

The requests all focused on him being left alone.

There was nothing she could do for him in return.

There was nothing else he wanted in return.

ALex nodded once again.

"Good then we shake on it." Percy offered his hand, Alex took it and shook it once, sealing the deal.

Why did she feel she would be regretting this decision.

* * *

Moving her stuff from his apartment to hers didn't take much time. She only had a bag of clothes with her and some toiletries.

The apartment he had gotten hers was almost a replica of his. Having ensured that she was settled in, he made his way out of her apartment.

"Thank you." Alex called out to him.

Turning around to face her, he still found her gray eyes unnerving. So much like hers.

Turning his gaze away he simply muttered. "You're welcome."

_The place felt familiar. It felt evil. An evil so ancient it made the Gods feel like infants. A place he had spent an eternity in years ago._

_He was on top of a mountain, observing the monsters below, working. Another figure stood on the mountain. It didn't look like a monster, but it gave off a powerful aura._

_It was dressed in an armor and a helmet, making it impossible to see the face or even guess the gender of the warrior. The warrior stood with his hands folded, watching the monsters patiently toiling away._

_A voice rumbled from the depth of the valley. A voice that reverberated through his very soul as it spoke. A voice which felt it could rip his soul from his body simply by commanding it to._

_"Soon."_

**And there we have it guys. Another one done, We finally get a sneak peak at things to come and the main plot. So do tell me what you think. Feedbacks and criticisms are always welcome.**

**Until next time**

**Peace out.**


	7. The Reasons of a Veteran

**A/N:- Okay I am back again. This has now become my most popular story by some margin, hence the rapid updates. The reviews have been great and extremely positive. One of the reviewers had said something about Alex being Annabeth reincarnated. **

**That's not the case my friend. To be reincarnated Annabeth had to die before Alex was born. That is certainly not the case here. Anyway, other queries I will try to answer by mail, without giving away the plot or any spoilers.**

**Anyway without further ado.**

**The Reasons of a Veteran**

Alex ran a past a corner. Cursing herself for missing that turn. It wouldn't be long before the monster caught up to her. Jumping over a few dumpsters she executed a forward roll, getting on her feet immediately using her momentum to avoid breaking off from her run.

Spying a dumpster to he right, about 5 yards away, she decided to take a chance, making a break for it.

Thankfully the dumpster had its lid on.

Using the dumpster as a spring board she managed to hold on to one of the rungs of the fire-escape of the adjacent building, pulling herself up with a little effort, giving the time for the monster to catch up.

However that was of little consequence. Running on rooftops, where there were more obstacles would work in her favor to put some distance between her and the monster.

With one final heave she pulled herself over the ledge leading to the roof, breaking off into another run. The building she had chosen to climb was still under construction.

The next few moments passed in a blur.

Weaving, ducking, sliding and jumping to avoid the various obstacles without breaking her pace.

Her heart was beating hard, the adrenalin had kicked in. The edge of the building was 5 yards from her, the gap between the two buildings was almost 20 yards.

She had to make it.

She didn't even want to think what would happen if she failed. A fall from that height would probably kill her, but there was a fate worse than death in store for her if she didn't make that jump. Which was all that kept her motivated at the moment.

Pushing herself off the edge of the building screaming, she soared.

Oh-oh.

She had miscalculated.

The thing with being mid-air. If you realize it was a mistake, it was too late to do anything about it.

Closing her eyes and pulling her knees to her chest she prepared herself.

Good news, she didn't fall to her death.

Bad news, her momentum was greater than she anticipated and failed to control her landing and ended up crashing into some of the construction material.

Worse news, now the monster had caught up to her.

With a loud bark which resembled artillery-fire the hellhound pounced on her as she resigned herself to her fate.

Paws on her shoulder pinning her down the hellhound then proceeded to give her a puppy face-wash.

"Ewwww... Gross!" She exclaimed.

"Heel Mrs. O'Leary." Came the deep voice of her mentor the last few weeks.

With one final lick the playful hound retreated towards the sound of its master, yapping excitedly all the way. Percy then proceeded to pat the hound on the head as she jumped around expecting treats.

Percy finally relenting, tossed her an entire pack of biscuits, which she snagged out of mid-air.

"Good girl!" Percy was now scratching the ears of the awfully cheerful dog.

There was something wrong with that image. Alex mused.

When Percy had introduced her to his 'pet' she nearly had a heart attack. He had then proceeded to use her during her training.

Not fighting her of course.

Escaping her.

Her mind wandered back to the time when Percy explained the purpose of this latest training regime.

"There will be times when you will have to retreat. At times like these knowing how to escape is an even more important skill than knowing how to fight." Percy had explained, without her asking, though she had figured it out on her own. "Hellhounds are the most persistent monsters of the lot. Because of their sense of smell its almost impossible to shake them off and eventually they will find you."

"Then why try?" Alex had wondered out loud.

"Why don't you use that brain you inherited and tell me?" Percy fired. "Think of it as a pop quiz."

"The objective isn't to escape the monsters, but to buy enough time to survive until reinforcements arrive or until we find a more suitable place to fight." Alex realized.

"Exactly. As you know monsters track demigods by their smell, and no monster has it better than a hellhound."

"So, if I can escape a hellhound long enough, I can escape pretty much any monster out there?"

"That's the long and short of it." Percy said nodding sagely.

Over the next few days, her training sessions included escaping Mrs O'Leary, with fighting the odd monster here and there.

While her monster fighting sessions were going well enough the same couldn't be said about her escaping lessons.

No matter what she tried she just couldn't shake off the helhound.

She had tried to cover up her scent, by mingling in a crowd, using copious amounts of deodorant and even jumping into a dumpster on Percy's suggestion.

Something he claimed he had done himself. Though she thought he looked a little too smug when she had actually gone ahead and done it. It did nothing to improve his image of a jerk in her eyes.

She had even tried tying her two-weeks unwashed socks on the leg of an alley-cat to throw off the hellhound.

But no matter what she did, she always eventually caught up to her who the always proceeded to give her a face-wash.

Though as much as she hated dogs, she had to admit it was a welcome relief to see Percy actually being fond of something.

Even if that something was a monstrous hellhound.

It made him seem more..._human_.

"How did I do?" Alex asked the boy, who was now in the process of giving Mrs.O'Leary a belly rub.

"Six minutes and twenty three seconds." Percy said his attention still fixed on the dog.

That wasn't so bad. She had beaten her previous record by 15 seconds.

"So, where did you go wrong?" Percy inquired.

"I should have stuck to narrow alleys, instead of hitting the rooftops." To be fair she hadn't expected the hound to follow her up a building.

"No, the rooftops wasn't a bad idea actually." Percy said surprising her. He was extremely sparing with compliments."Your slipped up when you tried to make the jump."

"What could I have done differently?"

Percy walked to the edge of the building beckoning Alex to come forward with two fingers. Dusting off her jeans, Alex joined him.

"Tell me what you see."

Alex's heart dropped. The building she had just jumped from, had a metallic pipe running down its side. She could have easily grabbed hold of that and used it to descend. Not that it wasn't without its own share of risks but it was still a better alternative to that suicidal jump.

What's more? The hound couldn't have followed her from there.

"Its okay. You did well, to last as long as you did." Percy reassured her.

Alex felt like kicking herself. Gods she was so stupid. She was supposed to be smart, but he always managed to make her feel like an idiot.

"We are done for the day." He announced, breaking Alex out of her thoughts. He then proceeded to whistle causing Mrs O'Leary to get up and fall into a step next to him.

That evening Alex spent pacing up and down her apartment restlessly. Her dreams had persisted. She didn't know why she was having these dreams, or what they meant.

She never remembered most of them. It was like watching a really bad TV transmission. The images being blurry and faded and the sound grainy.

That's how she remembered her dreams, though she was pretty sure, that wasn't how she saw them.

She wasn't sure what she should do? She couldn't talk to Percy. He had made it clear, that he didn't want anything to do with her, other than the training he had already promised her.

He was a good teacher. He was hard, but fair.

And after everything, she was really grateful for his help, and so she had refrained from bothering him outside of their sessions.

But for some reason, she just couldn't stay in anymore and steeling herself, she decided on her course of action.

She walked down to Percy's floor, keeping up a chant of 'you can do this' in her head.

She saw him in the process of locking his door, obviously in the process of going out. And not for the first time her breathing hitched when she saw him. It was always a little different seeing him when he wasn't teaching her.

He was dressed casually in a gray turtleneck, faded jeans and sneakers. Nothing special, however he made it look really good. His face seemed to be chiseled out of stone and his piercing green eyes held a melancholy in them, hidden behind a facade of indifference.

"What are you doing here?" Percy asked her, without turning around.

"Was just going out." Alex's voice hitched a bit.

"So, what's stopping you?" Percy turned towards her raising an eyebrow.

It took Alex a moment to figure what he was talking about. She realized she had been standing in the hallway gaping at him like an idiot. A surge of temper passed through her.

"I will be moving when I want to." She snapped.

"Suit yourself." Percy shrugged casually, before walking away.

It had been like this since that day. While he used to get annoyed with her initially, she found herself missing his sarcastic remarks. At least he didn't ignore her. Ever since they had made the deal, he had pushed her away. Keeping out of her way and making sure she stayed out of his.

That really annoyed her.

"Hey Percy!" She called out to him, pausing him in his tracks.

"What is it?" He said turning around.

"Can we talk?" She said tentatively. "I know the deal was that I would never seek you out, but I really need to talk to you and as it is I won't see you once I leave." She ended her ramblings somewhat lamely.

"If you break this deal, what's to stop the breaking of others." Percy asked her.

Alex's heart dropped. "You're right, forget I said anything."

Percy sighed. "I am going out for dinner. You can join me if you want."

Alex couldn't believe she heard what she did.

"What?" She voiced her disbelief.

"You heard right and I am not repeating myself." Percy rolled his eyes at her reaction.

Still not totally sure, if she heard right she walked up to him falling in a step beside him. His lack of reaction to her doing so, reassured her that she hadn't imagined him saying what he had.

* * *

Cutting of a piece of steak with his knife, Percy popped it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. The girl sat opposite him, nursing her glass of water absently.

Percy had allowed her to come along with him, because she said she had something she wanted to talk about. Now contrary to what most people believed, Percy wasn't bad at reading social situations despite his lack of contact with anyone more than as a casual acquaintance. He had given the girl time to gather her thoughts, knowing she had something big on her mind.

But seeing her this lost, he knew he had to speed things along.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked bluntly but not unkindly.

Alex took a deep breath and fired the first question that had been bothering her.

"Why do you hate the Gods so much?"

To her mild surprise, Percy didn't seem bothered by the question. He casually sliced another piece of beef and downed a few gulps of water, before speaking.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" He countered.

"Humor me."

Her tone caused Percy to smirk. "They are arrogant, manipulative, selfish how many reasons do you need?"

"But they are the Gods." Alex argued, half expecting Percy to burst into flames at his blatant disrespect. "Its their influence which is keeping our world from falling into chaos."

"Well your so called Gods couldn't keep their word if the fate of the world and their own depended on it." Percy replied fixing her with a look, which literally pitied her for her naivety and innocence.

Alex realized that he was talking about the prophecy regarding the children of the big three. He had a point there.

"Well you wouldn't be alive if they could keep their word." She said.

"My point still stands." Percy paused eating."And despite promising me that they would stay away from me, they still managed to involve themselves in my life."

"What do you mean?" Alex was genuinely puzzled.

"What do you think you meeting me was?"

"A coincidence." Alex said without skipping a beat.

"Was it?" He challenged her quietly.

Alex wanted to say he was wrong and held her defiant glare, but the insides of her head were already turning. It was rather convenient that she ran into arguably the most powerful demigod of this age while running for her life.

"It could be." Alex said, but without much conviction.

"The thing about Gods, they can never stop interfering in our lives, when it suits them. We are their playthings, their source of amusement and occasionally their soldiers, to be sacrificed in their name in their battles." He wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Hiding behind their veil of ancient laws of non-interference when inconvenient."

Alex was surprised at his tone. The words were spoken without inflection or any emotion. They were spoken like facts. Undeniable.

"You mean, you helping me out, was by the design of the Gods." She said.

"What do you think?"

Alex had never been this confused in her life, but much to her chagrin, she found herself wondering, if he was right.

"Then why did you help me?" She queried.

"I don't know." His shoulders dropped a bit as if tired of carrying a burden, he knows he can't pass on to another. "Maybe because I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean you didn't have a choice?" Alex asked a little irritably.

Percy chuckled humorlessly. "That's another thing about Gods and choices. They never give you one and you're a fool if you think you do. More often than not you will end up doing what they want" He said cryptically. "I served the Gods for 5 years. I fought for them and I bled for them, I lost my friends and my sanity to the wars they should have been fighting and this is all I have to show for it." He waved his arms indicating his life.

Alex found herself speechless. She wanted to defend the Gods. But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I have known the Gods Alex." Percy continued. "Most of them personally. And let me tell you, that one day you will come to the same conclusion that I did."

"And what is that?" She said a little acidly.

"That the Gods you serve couldn't care less about this world, that they are a part of."

Percy got up from his place, leaving a few bills covering his and Alex's dinner.

"I will see you around." He said in the way of farewell, leaving the diner.

Alex remained seated, pondering over what she had just heard. She still remembered the time when she had learned that she was the daughter of a Goddess. Underneath all the fear, disbelief and trepidation there was a pride that she was special.

Meeting Percy had hurt that pride.

"Excuse me but is this seat taken?" Came a deep voice from somewhere above her. Looking up she found herself staring at a large imposing man, with jet-black hair and sea-green eyes.

He was dressed in a colorful shirt and shorts with beach sandals. Weird choice of clothing, a french beard adorning his handsome face.

Blushing slightly in embarrassment at being caught off-guard, she spoke. "No, its not and I was just leaving anyway."

"If its not asking much I was hoping you could stay Miss Walker." The man said genially, freezing Alex in her seat.

"How... do you know my name?" Alex stammered, fingering her blade, hidden beneath her jacket.

"How rude of me? I should have introduced myself." The man said apologetically. Though Alex was already beginning to figure out who he was. The man's next words confirmed her suspicions. "I am Percy's father."

**And we are done. An inside look in Percy's head. Trust me when I say I am not bashing the Gods. Its just the views of a bitter man.**

**Kinda hard to do without making him emo.**

**Anyway hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to leave a line!**

**Until next time**

**Peace Out.**


	8. Conversation With a God

**A/N:- Okay finally another chapter done. Thanks for the amazing response. Hit over 50 reviews. Though most of them only tell me to update faster. Well I am doing my best. I appreciate it a bit more if you could tell me what you thought of the chapter.**

**But anyway enjoy the latest one.**

**Conversations With a God**

Alex remained frozen in her seat as the man in front of her kept his gaze on her. To any other person in the diner he looked like a regular beach camper.

His kind green eyes so much like Percy's and the brooding nature of his looks, which again Percy had inherited. He held her gaze for a while, leading Alex to believe maybe she should be the one to start this conversation.

With Gods you can never be sure. You never know which action of yours could offend them into blowing you to dust. But the suspense was killing her anyway. Steeling her nerves she took the plunge.

"So Lord Poseidon?"

"Just Poseidon will do my child."The God said, the smile never leaving his face.

"Right. What can I do for you... Sir?" Well to be fair she had no idea how to deal with humble Gods. It wasn't the first time she had seen him. She had been to Olympus once on a field trip.

The respect us or eat voltage thing didn't really go a long way in reducing the intimidation factor.

"You have been staying with my son."

"Yes, I know." Alex interrupted. "I can understand why you would want me stay away from him, after all I am the daughter of Athena..."

Alex paused mid-rant when she realized she was ranting and expected to be reduced to a puddle of seawater for interrupting the God. But Poseidon merely looked amused.

Or was it sinister?

"Don't worry about it child." Poseidon said gently. "Its Athena who holds a grudge over old things, not me. I for one am glad you sought him out."

"Right." Alex finally said after a while processing what she just heard. "Wonder what my mother thinks of this."

"She hasn't visited you to forbid you doing what you are doing, so I don't think she disapproves." He reassured her. "She actually has a soft spot for him."

Liar! was the first word that crossed Alex's mind. Followed immediately by 'you're joking' and 'good one' followed by a million other responses some of which might have been offensive for present company. So her mind came up with one of the more eloquent responses.

"What?" Alex couldn't believe what she just heard. Athena having a soft spot for a child of Poseidon. What was the world coming to?

"She will deny it of course." Poseidon said waving a hand. "But after a few thousand years of squabbling with her, I guess I can claim to know her a bit."

Wow! That really was something. Though she had to say squabbling was a very mild way of putting it. The Athena-Poseidon rivalry had gone on for eons. Starting from the naming of Athens to the siege of Troy. Every time there had been a conflict amongst the Gods, both of them found each other sides.

What had Percy done that could possibly gain Athena's approval?

When she came about she was surprised to find the God looking decidedly uncomfortable. As if he had something to say but just didn't know how to say it.

He almost looked... _human_.

No that wasn't it?

There was more.

"How is Percy doing?" He asked her.

And then it hit her. Poseidon looked like a father who knew he had failed his son.

"He is doing fine." She said, her tone colored with a hint of resentment. What Percy had told her did affect her as much as she was loathe to admit it.

"That's good to hear." Poseidon sounded a little relieved.

"Why didn't you ask him yourself?" Alex questioned his roundabout way of doing things.

"As you may have probably guessed, he isn't too fond of the Gods at the moment." Poseidon said. "And he extracted a solemn oath from us to leave him alone."

"So, you're just keeping a promise?" Alex questioned.

"You don't like me much do you?" Poseidon said shrewdly.

Alex remained silent, not trusting herself to speak.

"Guess somewhere we are responsible for this." Poseidon sighed. "Being a parent is hard. Being a Godly parent even harder."

Alex couldn't suppress a scoff at that, despite her best efforts to pass it off as a cough.

"You may speak your mind, child." He encouraged her. "I swear not to blast you into a puddle of sea-water."

Of course he can read her mind. He is a God after all.

"I don't see the Gods parenting their kids a lot." She said. "Do excuse my audacity Lord Poseidon, but parenting is hard only if you do it."

At these words Poseidon seemed to age a thousand years before her eyes. Alex immediately felt sorry for the man after she was sure she wouldn't be paying for her words.

"Part of being a God. We can't interfere in the lives of demigods." He sighed. "That goes even more so when the children are your own."

"That doesn't stop you recruiting our help for your purposes." She retorted. Percy's words from not even half an hour ago rang in her head.

_"The thing about Gods, they can never stop interfering in our lives, when it suits them. We are their playthings, their source of amusement and occasionally their soldiers, to be sacrificed in their name in their battles."_

"No, it doesn't does it?" Poseidon stared at her like she was some interesting pet he had come across the pet-store and was making a decision if he wanted her. "But that's what the fates have ordained. Fighting the fates never ends well."

"I still don't know what you want from me." Alex said.

"You know why Percy is helping you?" Poseidon answered her query with a question of his own.

"Because I convinced him to?"

Poseidon smiled at this.

"No, it was because he wanted to." Poseidon saw that she was about to interrupt him. "My son has been alone for almost three years now, he could use a friend."

"I am afraid you have misunderstood the situation My Lord." Alex decided to nip this in the bud before it got out of hand. "But we are not friends. He is at best my mentor."

"I see." Poseidon said, his eyes suggesting he was reading more into the situation than he should.

"Moreover he has already extracted a promise from me that I wouldn't actively seek him out once we are done." Alex said.

"Did he make you swear on the River Styx?" Poseidon asked keeping his tone even.

"No, he didn't."

"Then your oath isn't binding."

"Maybe he actually expects me to keep my word." Alex said scathingly.

"Or maybe, he somewhere deep in his heart he wants to disregard it."

Alex stared at the God, now feeling more than a little angry.

"I am sorry, but I can't do that." Alex said. "That would be violating his trust." No wonder Percy didn't like the Gods. "Now I wouldn't be much of a friend would I, if I denied him the only thing he wanted from me?"

"He doesn't know what he wants." Poseidon shook his head sadly. "You have seen how he lives now. And yet at one time he was offered immortality. I just don't want to see him in pain anymore."

Alex chewed on her lip mulling his words over. The Poseidon in front of her wasn't talking to her as a God, but as a father worried about his son.

And then she didn't have the heart to hold her anger against him.

"I will see what I can do." She finally relented. "But if he doesn't retract the promise himself I intend to honor it."

"That's the best I could have hoped for." Poseidon's face broke into a smile.

* * *

Thrust, parry, parry, duck, front roll, slash. Alex's mind focused on these actions as she tried to survive the sparring session.

It was hopeless. No matter how hard she tried, how much she improved, Percy was always that much better. It felt like he was always holding back.

After losing for what felt for two-hundredth time in a row, Alex couldn't help it.

"What am I doing wrong?" She asked Percy, who had now capped his blade turning it back into a ball-point pen.

"You let me dictate the pace of the battle." Percy replied. "Never allow a superior opponent o do that. You have to be more unpredictable. Your form is perfect and that makes you predictable."

Alex realized Percy was right. Technically she was as good as he was. But somehow he always kept her on her toes. He had the advantage in speed and strength.

"You're over thinking things." Percy said. "You have defeated monsters who are bigger, stronger and faster than I am."

"Yes, but they are dumb." She protested. "You're not."

Percy chuckled at this. He had a nice laugh Alex decided. It was reluctant, almost shy. Quite unlike how he usually was.

"You know you look good when you smile." She said before her brain could catch up with her mouth.

Silence. Awkward silence. And then it happened. Something she had been praying would never happen. Its just that her brain shut off when she was placed in an embarrassing situation.

"I mean... you don't look bad while you're doing it."Oh god she probably should stop talking now. "Not that you look bad when you're not doing it. I just mean you should do it more often." She rambled on for a few more seconds and couldn't bring herself to shut up.

Percy was looking at her with a thoroughly amused look on his face.

"And maybe I should just stop talking now." She ran her fingers through her hair, her face turning red.

Percy tried. He really did. But then he just couldn't.

So after a couple of attempts to stifle his laughter, he finally burst out laughing, mortifying Alex even more than she though was possible.

After about a minute of rib-cracking laughter, which made Alex wish she could dig a hole and bury herself in or even better bury Percy in. It finally faded to chuckles.

Before he sat down on his hunches still fighting off the occasional fit.

"I haven't laughed that hard in a long time." Percy admitted.

"Well, glad you find me so amusing." Alex fumed.

"I am sorry." Alex would have found that easy to believe, if it weren't for the mirth that was still shining in his eyes.

Alex huffed before collecting her blade from the ground. They had finished for the day. Their sparring sessions took place in an alley a few blocks from their apartment complex.

Without a word she started walking back. Percy easily fell into step next to her.

"You want to know how you could have won?" Percy asked.

Alex remained silent. She hadn't forgiven him yet.

"Well?" Percy prompted.

Alex gave up. It wouldn't do much to dwell on it anyway. "Fine what could I have done to win?"

"You should have cheated." He said.

"Cheated?" Alex asked puzzled. "Care to elaborate?"

"You will figure it out." Percy smirked, not helping her state of confusion.

"Well thanks." Alex said bitterly. "For nothing."

Ever since that day in the diner, Percy had been a little more comfortable around her. They still weren't friends. Far from it. But atleast now he didn't actively try to ignore her.

He even started conversations at times.

One thing that hadn't changed was that he was still a vicious taskmaster. Even when he was holding back he didn't go easy on her. The jerk. On more than one night she had gone to bed sporting bruises and aching muscles she didn't know existed.

But she understood what Percy was trying to do.

He gave her next to nothing in terms of techniques or skills.

What he trained, was her fear. How to control it and channel it productively. He trained her to survive in the world of monsters.

"You're not me and you're not Clarrise, so it makes no sense for you to fight like us." Percy had explained to her, when she had brought up the matter of skills. "I will train you to fight the way you would have the best chance of winning."

And he had done just that.

She was more confident of her skills and her ability to survive.

She looked at the boy she had come to respect and admire in the past few weeks and found a smile creep over her face.

Bidding him goodnight she ran upto her apartment, she could really use a shower and then she was going to pass out for twelve hours.

* * *

_She was padding up, gearing up for the canoe race in the lake. Slapping her face a couple of times to get her focus. How she wished she could get him as her partner. It would be so easy._

_But then it wouldn't be fair to the others. In fact she was the one who had talked him out of the race. So now he was the acting referee._

_Using the whistle he had snagged from Chiron to get the attention of the campers who were participating._

_"Come on people we are burning daylight here." He shouted leading her to curse under her breath. He was having a little too much fun with this._

_"Your boyfriend seems to be enjoying this." Her partner said. Well at least she wasn't the only one who thought so._

_"He is isn't he?" She said. "Anyway let's get a move on." Grabbing the canoe both of them approached the starting point._

_Five minutes later she was battling the rapids. The Apollo cabin was surprisingly in the lead. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Ares cabin almost going neck to neck with her own._

_Compared to other camp activities, the canoe lake was a real field leveller. No one camp had a decisive advantage over the other. Rules forbade the campers to fiddle with the boats._

_It was all about teamwork and the ability to perform under pressure._

_Something she and her cabin excelled at._

_The Apollo cabin was beginning to fall back. The discord between the two rowers of the Ares cabin allowed them to build a sizeable lead over them._

_When 50 yards from the finishing line, disaster struck. A turbulent wave hit them, overturning the canoe._

_The race had finished. She had been handed the towel to dry herself up. She was feeling decidedly down, having lost it._

_Her spirits lifted considerably on seeing the referee approaching her._

_"Good race." He smiled, closing the distance between them and pecking her once._

_"But I lost." She said sourly._

_"I told you to let me be your partner, but noooo, you had to play fair."_

_She froze. There was something crawling underneath her shirt, her head tuned out the rest of what was being said._

_The next thing she knew she was panicking trying to get rid of whatever it was, screaming her head off. She was barely conscious of a pair of arms helping her._

_A few seconds later, the culprit slipped out._

_A six-inch trout, floundering about._

_A wave of relief passed her body, lasting exactly 3 seconds, before a snort of muffled laughter reached her ears. Turning around slowly she glared menacingly the source of said laughter,_

_The boy was keeping a determinedly straight face, but his eyes gave him away._

_His green eyes._

_After a couple of seconds of valiant effort he finally broke down._

Alex woke up with a start. Those eyes. The laugh she had heard just a few hours ago.

She had been dreaming of Percy Jackson.

**And done. She finally figures it out and the plot takes another step. Don't forget to leave a line. On another note do check out my latest offering The Diabolist. A PJO horror/adventure genre AU first person noir. Sort of inspired by series like Supernatural and Constantine, though in no way a reiteration.**

**Its just my take.**

**Until next time.**

**Peace out!**


	9. Opening Moves

**A/N:- You know its amazing how many Nico/Thalia fics there are on this site. Infact I believe they are the second most popular pairing in PJO fandom. That really intrigues me. I don't even recall them having interacted with each other as a matter of fact. Not that I have anything against that pairing or the authors who have written stories on the pairing, I am just surprised by its popularity that's all.**

**But enough said. Am back with another chapter. Enjoy!**

**Opening Moves**

Percy waited in line to get his wages. His cap provided little protection against the afternoon sun, but he endured nevertheless. He could have used a cloudy day.

Clouds for most people meant depression and gloom. To Percy it meant a shade from the heat of a radiant sun. Sometimes he wondered just what the hell Apollo was thinking.

Among all the Olympians his relationship with the Sun God was probably the least abrasive, preceding only Hestia. But then that was probably because his contact with the outgoing God had been minimal.

Familiarity breeds contempt. That was definitely true when it came to his relationship with the Gods. When he had first found out about them, he had been awed to say the least. They were forces of nature capable of great acts of benevolence and cruelty in equal measure.

But the more he got to know them the more he realized that the Gods were just a bunch of overgrown kids throwing a temper tantrum.

It was kinda sad actually. Most people could blame themselves or their fate when they fell on bad times. With Percy it was a little different. He knew exactly who to blame for anything wrong which went on in the world.

Maybe Luke did have the right idea after all.

But before he could go too far down that road, he banished his thoughts and collected his cheque.

It was back to his everyday routine, since Alex left his tutelage 3 weeks ago.

The last few days of her stay had been….. difficult. Not that she had been a bad student or any trouble for that matter. Infact after the initial hiccups, they had progressed rather well. She had absorbed all he had to teach her, the way only a daughter of Athena could, without complaining….. _too much. _Yes she had a smart mouth on her and was stubborn to a fault.

But eventually he found that he didn't mind her company all that much. In fact he would even have missed her if it weren't for the way they parted ways.

In fact he still did. But then it probably was for the best. He really didn't need any complications in his life right now after trying so hard to keep it simple. His musings came to a halt when he began feeling light tremors running through the ground.

The beginnings of an earthquake? That wasn't anything unusual.

Then why were his senses tingling like wind chimes in a storm. Trusting his instincts, he leapt away. And not a moment too soon as the ground beneath his feet began crumbling.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed as he jumped between one fragment of earth to the next. The ground wasn't just crumbling, it was getting sucked in somehow.

He raced towards the edge of the chasm that was being created, out of nowhere in the middle of the city. But the way it was going, he doubted he would make it.

If he was Jason, he could control the wind around him to get where he needed to be. But he wasn't Jason.

He was Percy though. The son of the Sea God. He had avoided using his legacy in the last three years. Well no time like the present to begin again.

New York had probably the most efficient drainage system of the planet. Where there were drains, there was sewage. And where there was sewage, there was water.

Feeling the familiar tugging sensation in his gut as he commanded the flow of water in the drains. He had to time this.

He was still about twenty five feet from the edge. He jumped.

It was now or never.

For a while Percy was suspended in mid-air. The chasm had deepened. He couldn't tell how deep it was. Probably enough to kill him.

Then he began to fall.

At the same time however, the drain exploded shooting water like a geyser. Taking Percy with him. His plan worked.

It worked a little too well, actually. His initial plan had been to use the geyser as a foothold before jumping to cover the remaining distance.

But apparently he had underestimated himself, as the geyser didn't act so much as a foothold as it did as a canon. If he hadn't been who he was, they would be picking up pieces of him from the sidewalk. Even now he ended up getting the wind knocked out of him.

Good news he was out of the hole, bad news he was now in the danger of being flattened on the concrete sidewalk. But then again Percy hadn't survived all this time by panicking. He had survived worse. Closing his eyes he focused on the water around him, making a globe of water around himself.

If it weren't for the crisis he was in he would have taken the time to admire how blue the sky was. But such was the life of a demigod, retired or not they really didn't allow them to enjoy the little things. Not that they could do it in their moments of quiet contemplation, when things weren't so chaotic.

No , those moments were exclusively meant to bitch about how rotten the life of a demigod was. There was a circle of wet spot around where he had landed, leaving him dry. The water had cushioned his fall, just like he intended.

Wow! He had landed fifty feet away from where he began. Had his water powers grown stronger?

Though the sewage water was doing a very good job of stinking up the place. He could see the people running helter skelter in panic.

Yeah he had to admit the smell definitely was bad. Another tremor shook him out of his musings as a building collapsed some distance away, and he realized probably the cause of the panic may not have been overflowing sewage.

Though it should be. H e thought to himself. Turning around to face the chasm, he saw an army of Earthborns rising from it. 8 foot tall with 6 arms, armed with clubs and axes, they painted an intimidating picture.

He had faced them in the last war. Tough, durable and not too bright?

The one nearest to Percy, fixed his gaze on him and roared. Percy rolled his eyes, despite the direness of his situation.

"So, I guess I am blaming you guys for ruining my day." Percy unsheathed Riptide and took a casual stance.

The leading Earhborn gave another roar and charged, its brethren following.

Seeing them charge Percy retreated, backwards, leading them to a narrower two buildings, one having collapsed, barely leaving a gap of two meters between the two. Ducking under the swing of the first blow, he plunged Riptide into the monster's gut, immediately disintegrating it, grabbing its ax as it went down, Percy threw it, nailing one of the charging brutes in the forehead.

He slid under the legs of the third as it clumsily swung its club. It wasn't a great view Percy had to admit, but then he didn't have the option to be picky as he plunged it into the monster's groin, pulling it out in the same motion, moving on to the next monster.

Two of them charged at the same time, Percy ran along the side of the wall of the building, before somersaulting over them. One of the monsters in his eagerness to hit him, ended up disintegrating his brother.

"Uh oh." The monster exclaimed as he saw his brother turn to rubble in front of his eyes, using the monster's distraction, Percy slashed cutting the monster in half.

Hos instincts saved him again as he dodged what looked like a ball of mud, rocks and clay as it smashed itself on the ground next to him, peppering him with debris.

Great, now they were using projectiles.

The Earthborn having realized that close combat might not be the best way to handle the boy had now resorted to chucking projectiles at him from a distance.

"Die spawn of the Sea God!" One of the monsters roared, the others soon picking it up as they continued throwing.

"Come on guys. I am retired." Percy said as he dodged projectile after projectile. "I am sure you can find better targets than me."

"Die!"

"Well, so much for being diplomatic." Percy sighed. "Guess I am on my own on this one."

"And here I was about to jump in, to help." A dry voice greeted him from behind.

Percy didn't need to turn around to know the tell-tale signs of the arrival of Nico. His time in Tartarus had made him sensitive to the powers of the beings who drew their power from it.

That included but wasn't limited to sensing the monsters anywhere in a 500 meter radius around him. He could extend his range if he tried harder.

Sensing a shadow travelling powerful demigod barely five meters behind him, wasn't all that hard.

"What took you so long?" He retorted.

"Let me guess, the fact that you refused to stay in touch or the fact that no one has heard from you in 3 years." Nico shot back.

"Touche," Percy used a dumpster lid to shielding himself from a shower of debris as another ball of earth exploded over him.

Nico casually walked up to him standing next to him. Dressed in a black T-shirt with an aviator jacket over it and black jeans, his Stygian Iron blade resting in a sheath over his leg as he casually studied the scene in front of him.

Drawing his blade he pointed it towards the Earthborn. For a second nothing happened, before skeleton warriors dug themselves out of the earth and charged them, cutting down the first few, without facing any resistance, before the monsters became aware of the threat posed by the undead warriors.

"Now that that's taken care of." Nico said before turning to Percy, and he was interrupted by a scream.

Snapping his head in the direction of the scream Percy ran towards it, Nico following close on his heels.

After running three blocks they finally came across the source of the screams. A woman in her late twenties, was pinned under her car. Her car itself was pinned under a debris from a nearby collapsed building.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked the woman, lying flat on the ground, to get a better look at her.

"I'm stuck." The woman sobbed. "Please I need help."

"Hang on. We will get you out of this." Percy assured her. "Nico can you remove that piece of rubble from her car?"

Nico understood what Percy was asking from him. He would have to use his powers in front of a mortal. And at the moment he wasn't feeling too sure about that.

"Percy... This may not be such a good idea." He began.

"The woman is dying." Percy said fixing him with a glare.

"I am convinced." Nico put his hands on the ground and concentrated. He wasn't too good with this aspect of his power and he was a little drained from summoning the undead army, but he tried nevertheless.

He felt a painful tugging sensation originating from his gut as he became one with the earth below. With a silent command two spikes rose from the earth dislodging the rubble from the car.

But now they had a new complication. He had overused his powers and was beginning to lose consciousness. If things got worse Percy would be on his own.

The car was leaking gas and was beginning to catch fire, the woman was beginning to get more frantic and to be frank so was Nico, when a blast of water came out of nowhere and doused the fire also drenching Nico in the process.

"Whoops!" Percy said studying Nico's raging expression standing next to a fire hydrant he had just used.

* * *

"Soda pop or chocolate milk?" Percy asked his old friend.

"Haha very funny." Nico retorted. "Do you have coffee?"

"Sure do. Though I am not sure if you should be having any." Percy replied tossing him a can of milk shake.

"You would have thought I would have graduated from the kiddie jokes." He tried to hold his outraged look, but eventually relented popping the can open and taking a long draught. Milk shake was awesome. Who liked the bitter coffee anyway.

Percy smirked seeing the look of satisfaction on Nico's face, who realized he didn't care. Nico had gained height since the last time he saw him and was now paler and ganglier than ever.

"So how have you been Perce?" Nico asked the boy who had been a brother in all but name to him.

"Not too bad." Percy replied as he popped open a can of coke for himself. "I am getting by well enough."

Nico raised an eyebrow at this.

"Fine, things could be better. But who is complaining?" Percy shrugged.

They sat the next few minutes in silence before Nico couldn't take it anymore.

"Is that all you're going to say?" He said fixing Percy with a glare.

"I don't know what you want me to say?"

"Really? Why don't you try something like hey Nico! Long time no see. How have you been doing? Did you get yourself a girlfriend? How is camp? How is the rest of the gang doing?" Nico retorted.

"So did you get yourself a girlfriend?" Percy asked.

"No, I didn't." Nico said a little depressed. "But that's not the point..." Nico trailed off.

Percy folded his arms, waiting for him to continue.

"We are having... problems."

"No shit Sherlock!" Percy said. "There is a fifty feet wide hole not a mile from here, earthquakes, fires, Earthborn army, so yes I would definitely say you're having problems."

"You know what this was a mistake." Nico got up and made his way out. "Thanks for the milkshake."

"Nico!" Percy called out pausing him in his tracks. "I'm sorry, I was being a jerk."

Nico nodded acknowledging the apology and took back his seat.

"Things have been hard. Monsters popping up all over the country, attacking demigods before we get to them." Nico explained.

"How is that any different from usual?" Percy shrugged nonchalantly. As far as he could tell, that's how things have always been.

"Is it? You saw what happened today. When have Earthborn ever erupted in the middle of a city in these numbers in plain sight of the mortals?" Nico argued.

"It was a relatively abandoned part of the city." Percy countered. "For all I know, they may have been after me."

"I had something to do with that." Nico admitted. "They were supposed to explode from Brooklyn Public Library, I managed to divert their point of entry here."

"So, you're to blame for this?"

"Would you have rather faced them in a crowded place with mortals?"

Percy nodded conceding the point.

"We have even had attacks on the Camp." Nico continued. "Communicating with Camp Jupiter has been harder too. Seems like they are having problems of their own."

"So, monsters are getting aggressive." Percy said. "That's so unlike them."

"Then 3 of our campers went on a quest and we haven't heard from them in a week." Nico continued ignoring the sarcasm in Percy's tone.

"That's how quests go." Percy was getting a bit exasperated.

"Alex and Leo were members of this quest."

That gave Percy a pause. But only for a second. He hadn't been surprised to know that Nico knew about his sessions with Alex. He hadn't been trying to hide it anyway.

"All the less reason to worry." He said. "I trained Alex and I know Leo can handle himself. The quest couldn't have been in better hands."

Leo's countenance grew more grim as he said his next words.

"The quest was to rescue our Oracle."

**And another one down. Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are awesome. Hope you enjoyed this one. We finally move onto the main plot. A few of you maybe disappointed that I didn't cover more of Percy/Alex interaction. But no worries, I will be covering them in some flashbacks.**

**Until next time**

**Peace Out!**


	10. Resolve

**A/N:- The response this story is getting keeps astounding me. Because frankly speaking when I started writing it, it was just a side project I had taken in addition to my more... sincere (for the lack of a better word) work. But it is by far the most popular of my stories now.**

**So, thank you guys for your support, because of which I am now more motivated to write this tale.**

**Without further ado**

**Resolve**

Percy remained silent as he digested the words he just heard.

"Come again?"

"You heard right." Nico said. "Now tell me that's not out of the ordinary."

Well Percy had to admit, it certainly wasn't. Throughout history Oracles have always been off-limits. No matter how bad things got.

But that wasn't exactly true was it?

Hades did curse the last Oracle, blaming her for the death of his human lover. But that was done out of anger and spite. This didn't feel anything like that. This felt like a tactical move, the first move in a battle.

The Oracle for all purposes was their guide who more often than not served to put them on the right path. Without her they were flying blind.

They all knew it and the enemy obviously did. Their dependence on the Oracle was so transparent that he was surprised that no one thought of it before.

Could it possibly be? If it was then he wouldn't now what to do.

Maybe Nico was right.

It was finally time. The time he had been waiting for and dreading at the same time. He just didn't expect it to come this soon.

Even after so long he didn't know what he would do. The world was on a balance again.

But it wasn't his problem anymore. He had….. _retired _for the want of a better word.

But Rachel was his friend. Some may even say they have a bit of a history together. Didn't he owe it to her?

"Come on Percy. We need you on this one." Nico was pleading now.

"You have good people on your side Nico. You don't need me." Percy replied his face remaining casual but his fist tightening, a gesture which wasn't missed by Nico.

"You know that's not true. We have always needed you Percy." Nico argued. "It hasn't been the same since you left. You still have friends there. Friends who are still alive. Think about what Annabeth…"

The temperature of the room dropped by ten degrees, and yet Nico felt himself break into a cold sweat. He had gone too far.

"If you place any value on your life whatsoever Nico, you won't finish that sentence." Percy's voice colder than ice interrupted him.

Being a demigod and a child of Hades Nico wasn't unfamiliar with fear. Hell most of his powers were based on fear, but at that moment he realized what he always knew.

Percy was a really scary guy. More scary than any monsters he had defeated , the Titans he had faced or Giants he had fought.

The only other time he remembered being this scared was when he was in Tartarus. There was something really wrong about the way Percy was staring at him now.

The Percy he knew used to be more expressive of his emotions. Looking at him now, you wouldn't know what was going through his mind. His entire countenance was relaxed and casual. His arms resting on the arms of his chair and fingers intertwined with each other.

He might as easily kill him as he could shake his hand.

Nico remained frozen in his seat, as he waited. After what felt like a few hours but had only been a few seconds Percy finally sighed and Nico let go of a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"I think you should go now." He said removing himself from his seat and proceeded to open the door, to usher Nico out.

Nico hesitated for a moment before taking his cue.

"You know you're not the only one who lost her." Nico screwed up his remaining courage, this needed to be said consequences be damned. "And that day we lost you too. If you change your mind, you know where to start."

With that final parting shot, he exited the apartment, leaving Percy in his house without so much as a look back.

It was only after he had put some distance between himself and Percy's apartment that Nico allowed himself to breathe freely.

That could have gone better. He mused. But it could have been worse. The fact that all his bones were still in their sockets and his blood in veins was a testament to that.

Now he could just hope that he had gotten through to him.

Percy retook his seat after Nico left and remained there, pondering the conversation he had just had. Despite what he said, he knew he couldn't ignore this.

For the first time in a long time he was beginning to doubt himself.

It was with a pang in his heart that he remembered that Nico was actually fond of Annabeth. The loss while not as great as his own couldn't be ignored. Not to mention the camp. In those rare moments when he allowed Annabeth's memories to surface, he did wonder how the camp was doing in his absence.

But he didn't dwell on it, because contrary to popular belief he hadn't exiled himself to get away from the Olympians…. Not completely anyway. It was more complicated than that and in his heart he knew he had made the right choice then.

But now he was facing another decision. A decision he had avoided making till now.

But time had run out and he was still as lost as he was two years ago.

He needed to think about this.

Grabbing his jacket he locked his apartment. A train ride later and a 15 minute walk later he was standing in a cemetery, staring silently at the Tombstone.

_Sally Blofis_

_(1975- 2012)_

_Devoted Wife & Loving Mother_

_You will be Missed_

He didn't know exactly why he came here. But standing here in front of his mother's grave, did give him some perspective. Even though he still wasn't sure about his decision, he head was clearer than it had been in a while.

"Hey mom." He spoke. "You're probably mad at me cause I don't visit as often as I should." He sat down on his hunches. His head was now a few inches below the top of the tombstone.

"Frankly speaking I can't bring myself to do it you know. Sometimes I wish I could tell what's going on in my life, but my life is a mess and somehow I always feel I have disappointed you."

A breeze blew across the graveyard, tousling his hair and he could almost feel his mother's touch in it, telling him its okay, like the way she used to, every time he would mess up.

"You always went a little too easy on me, even though I was a problem child." He laughed, his voice breaking. "Wonder what you would tell me to do now mother?"

"She would probably tell you to do what felt right kid." A voice greeted him from behind.

Turning around he saw Paul walking towards him, a bouquet of white roses in his hand. Percy stood up from his place and shook Paul's offered hand.

"I don't know what is right anymore Paul." Percy said.

"Hmmm…. That's a kicker isn't it?" Paul placed the roses on the grave and adopted a thoughtful pose. "You know I should probably say something like don't worry it will come to you eventually, but I am guessing that's not what you want to hear."

Percy chuckled humorlessly and shook his head. He was glad Paul was here, even though he hadn't expected to see him today, in fact he wasn't even in his mind. He didn't even have to question Percy on his problems and he could take ease his burdens just by talking to him.

"Then how about this?" Paul waved his arm, as if trying to fish for an idea. "What would you have done, if this was three years ago?"

Percy's eyes widened at Paul's words.

Was it really that simple? It shouldn't have been? But then again….

"I am not the same person I was three years ago Paul."

Paul sighed as he gazed at his wife's tomb.

"Sally used to worry about you a lot." Paul said. "A mother does that I suppose. Being a parent to a demigod isn't easy, and I know that now." Percy swallowed audibly, not trusting himself to speak and let Paul continue. "And she was proud of you. Gods she was so proud of you. Of what you have become and what you have achieved."

He turned to Percy and favored him with a smile.

"You know I can't claim to know everything that goes on in your life. Because I don't." Paul placed an arm over Percy's shoulder in a fatherly gesture. "But I don't believe you have changed that much. You are still you and I am sure no matter what you do, you will make the right choice and I am sure your mother will say the same."

Percy couldn't help himself and wrapped the man in a hug. Paul after the initial surprise had worn off returned the hug tentatively.

Percy wasn't a very expressive man, so he was surprised to hear his voice choked with emotion when he spoke.

"I miss her."

Paul's eyes watered as he ran his hand through his stepson's hair.

"Me too, kid. Me too."

Percy broke away from the hug, not meeting Paul's eyes as he wiped away what felt like remnants of tears from his cheeks, before he finally looked up a little embarrassed at his minor breakdown.

"Well I suppose I will leave you alone with your mother for a while." Paul said, covering up the awkward silence that had enveloped them.

"That's really not necessary."

"Its okay Percy, I come here everyday, I am sure your mother would like a few more minutes with you too, before you run-off to do your hero thing."

"Thanks Paul."

"Anytime kid." Paul replied as he walked away, then without turning around he added. "Just remember, your mother was proud of you and so am I."

Another smile broke over Percy's face as he watched the retreating figure of his stepfather.

Turning to his mother's grave once again, he closed his eyes as he placed a hand over it. When he opened his eyes again, a now knowing what he had to do.

He uncapped Riptide and studied the blade under the fading light of the evening. The blade glinted merrily as if sensing its master's resolve.

"Well old friend." He addressed his friend as if it were a sentient being. "Looks like we will be needed you again."

He had found his resolve. A decision he had put off making for years now, had finally been made and relief flooded his senses greater than when he had borne the weight of the sky.

Just one more time he will wield his blade for a cause.

Just one last time he will be a soldier.

Just one last time, he will be, what he was always meant to be… _a hero._

* * *

The bronze armored warrior walked amongst the legions of monsters ignoring them, even as they snarled at the warrior's apparent arrogance.

But it wasn't them who had their master's favor. No, their master now had a new pet. One who was now leading them in a new war.

They didn't get what was so special about this one. It smelled like food to them. One dracanae thinking along those lines lunged at the warrior only to lose its head as the warrior walked on without breaking stride, sheathing its blade while doing so.

This act of ruthless execution kept the other monsters with similar thoughts from rebelling. They had secured the valley a few weeks back. The mist had done the rest, keeping it out of sight from the mortals and the demigods.

Those fools had no idea what was coming.

If the warrior had been capable of feeling pity, they probably would have. As it was the very reason for the warrior's existence was doing the master's bidding.

The warrior approached the center of the valley, the monsters moving out of the way hastily. The floor of the valley was marked with various patterns and symbols, spread over an area of a few hundred square yards.

Removing a glove, the warrior unsheathed a knife and proceeded to slice their palm over the symbol at the center, which read

Τάρταρος

A chasm opened into the ground, stopping short of the warrior.

The warrior bowed, dropping to one knee, the rest of the monsters following.

"At your service master."

"What tidings do you bring me?" An ancient voice, older than time itself resonated through the Earth.

"Everything is proceeding as planned My lord. We have the Oracle and the demigods sent to rescue her right where we want them." The warrior said.

"Have you killed or captured them yet."

"No my liege, they have evaded us so far, but it will be done soon."

"What about the Earthborn army?"

"They were... destroyed, my lord."

A low rumbling shook the Earth. as some of the monsters began panicking, but the warrior held its place without flinching.

"Did they achieve their purpose?"

"No, my liege, they never got the chance."

Another rumble resonated through the Earth and the warrior could feel his master's displeasure.

"However, the armies are preparing for their assault on Camp Jupiter and steps have been taken to make sure the Greeks can't intervene." The warrior said placating the master.

"Very well, proceed then." The voice said. "And don't disappoint me."

"I won't master." The warrior bowed low once more, before standing up again as the chasm closed.

Soon the master will arise and they will tear this world apart.

Brick by brick.

**No action in this chapter, but plenty eventful won't you say? Percy has finally found his resolve, didn't procrastinate on that one. That being said I will say, without giving anything away that he will be going lone wolf and would be doing things his way. So, don't be surprised if his motives aren't exactly clear.**

**Anyway, before I forget thanks to all the reviewers and subscribers, you guys make my day.**

**Until next time**

**Peace out**


	11. The Sentinel

**Hey guys, welcome back. A slightly later update than usual, so an extra long chapter to make up for it. As usual you guys have been amazing, the reviews were extremely positive, so thanks for that.**

**Well without further ado.**

**The Sentinel**

"Do you think they're gone?" Samuel whispered, obviously at the edge of his nerves.

"Shhh." Alex warned, trying to keep as still as possible.

"They are coming." Leo said ominously, and sure enough, a pack of wolves came snapping. Acting in tandem, searching for them, while all three of them waited with bated breath.

Soon enough a man came into view. Dressed in rags, with matted hair and yellowing teeth he looked like a bum from downtown Brooklyn. He snarled and all the wolves stood in two parallel files. The man walked in between the files, looking grim.

He seemed to be waiting for something.

That's when a beast descended from the sky and Alex had to work to plug her mouth to stifle her cry of surprise.

It wasn't a monster she had seen before, but had heard of and read about. But despite the fearsome description she had read, the real thing was way worse, than she could have imagined.

It had the head and body of a lion, a tail resembling that of a scorpion's only longer and looked way more lethal, swiveling from side to side in a slow, hypnotic manner. The bat wings sprouting from the shoulders of the beast, looked a bit out of place, but no less intimidating.

A Manticore.

Of course it had to be one of the toughest monsters she had never faced, and doubted Leo or Samuel for that matter had faced either.

The Manticore flapped his wings once sending a gust of wind their way before folding them.

"Lycaon." The Manticore said, in a grainy voice. It gave Alex the same feeling she got as if someone was scratching the surface of a blackboard with nails.

"A little late to the party aren't you?" The wolf-king said sardonically.

"I really hadn't expected your incompetence to be so … _glaring_" The manticore replied a mocking tone in its voice.

"You were supposed to back me up." Lycaon snarled. "You let them get away on purpose."

The manticore roared, answering the challenge.

"You had an army of monsters, the element of surprise and your own wolves to track them, and yet you manage to lose them." The manticore retorted.

With a snarl Lycaon turned into his half-human half wolf form and charged. The manticore reared on its hind legs to meet the wolf-king.

At this point a flash of fire erupted between the two combatants, throwing them in opposite directions.

"Now now boys we can't have that." Came a cool drawling voice. "The master won't be happy, you know to see dissension in his ranks."

Without the knowledge of either antagonist and the demigods there, a figure had quietly entered the clearing. He looked human enough, though a tuxedo in the current setting looked distinctly out of place. He might have had a handsome face, if it wasn't so marred by scars.

He smiled, twisting his face in a vicious grimace.

"Prometheus." Lycaon said under his breath. He spat out the word like a curse.

"It has been a long time Lycaon." Prometheus greeted, walking casually, hands in his pockets, not a care in the world. It seemed as if he was making conversation at a cocktail party and not facing down two hostile monsters. "The commander won't be happy you know."

"As if I cared about that upstart." Lycaon scoffed.

"You should." Prometheus said in a warning tone. "The Commander has the master's favor."

"And I still don't know why?" The manticore snarled, finally joining the conversation. "We have served Father loyally for far longer and far more loyally and how could he trust that over us."

"It is not your place to question him." Prometheus said quietly. "Judging by the fiasco you have made of this relatively straightforward plan, I am not sure you would get a sympathetic ear anyway."

"Speaking of places why are you here?" Lycaon asked the Titan.

"Oh well, I expected something like this to happen." Prometheus said nonchalantly. "I am just here to keep an eye on things so to speak. Good thing too, cause it seemed that you two were about to tear each other apart." Prometheus walked around as if looking for something, he wasn't sure he wanted to find.

"Oh yeah, how do we know you won't stab us in the back, the moment we let our guards down." The manticore said. "How do we know you aren't here to mess things up?"

"Trust me, you don't need help messing things up." Prometheus retorted. "So what happened?" He enquired ignoring the manticore's emasculated snarl.

"We had them dead to rights?" Lycaon began grudgingly. "The ambush had been perfect. We had them cornered, when that cursed son of Hephaestus used a canon of some sort to blow a hole right through our offensive line and escaped."

"We could have had them, when we started chasing them, but somewhere down the line their scent just disappeared."

"Hmm.." Prometheus looked thoughtful. "Maybe you should fan out, do the search the hard way, instead of relying on your senses."

"And who are you to give orders?" Lycaon said.

"Just a suggestion Your Majesty." Prometheus gave a mocking bow.

Lycaon grunted and then, growled his orders to the wolves, who set off in directions to do their, king's bidding.

Even the Manticore took to the air to cover more ground, leaving only the Titan there. Prometheus watched his companions move away, while he remained standing.

Alex wondered what he was going to do now. In some ways the Titan looked more scary than either monster, despite his pleasant disposition.

His eyes scanned the surroundings, before his eyes fell on the place the three were hiding, lingering there for more than a few seconds.

Did he know? God they were doomed then. He was either going to recall the others or capture them himself. She didn't think they would stand a chance against a Titan, especially when one of them was injured.

But no way was she going to go down without fighting. Preparing herself for one final stand, she was about to charge, when the Titan just gave a mocking smile and she was sure that he knew they were there before disappearing in a flash of fire.

So, sudden was this turn of events, that Alex remained frozen in her place for a few seconds, before a touch on her arm, brought her back to reality. Leo placed a finger on his lips, imploring her silence, before putting Samuel's arm over his shoulder, and dragging him away, as quietly as he could.

Once they had put some distance between them and their pursuers, they made their way into an abandoned building. Placing Samuel against a wall.

"I will set up the perimeter." Leo announced. "See what you can do for him."

Alex nodded, while Leo went outside and started securing the place by setting some traps around the it. Just in case they were found, when they were at their most vulnerable. Carefully removing the dressing, revealed a large gash on Samuel's thigh.

They had managed to stop the bleeding a while back and fed him as much ambrosia they could without burning him up. Now it was just a matter of waiting, running and hiding, before they could get help.

They hadn't dared to even try to contact the camp yet.

Working fast Alex changed the bandages on his wounds, with a final tug tying it up.

"Thanks." Samuel muttered. "You were amazing."

Alex favored him with a small smile and patted him on the shoulder.

"Thanks Samuel."

"I mean it." Samuel said sincerely. "If it wasn't for your idea of bathing in that Laistrygonian's….. dust ." He gave an involuntary shudder at this point. "They would have tracked us down for sure."

That happened to be true. The quest had gone wrong almost the moment it started. The rescue mission to save their Oracle had now turned into a battle for survival.

"It was a team effort." Alex's mind went back to her days with Percy, who had drilled into her the necessity of hiding her scent no matter how repulsive she found it. And nothing covered demigod smell blood better than monster stench. "If it hadn't been for all of us working together, none of us would be here."

"Guess we are a great team huh?"

"I suppose we are." Alex admitted, Samuel reached out and took her hand in hers and Alex allowed it. The human touch in a hostile environment was something she craved right now, and she was glad that all of them were alive….. _for now._

Samuel was grateful when Alex didn't pull away. He had known Alex since she had joined the camp a couple of years ago, and always felt the need to look out for her, eventually developing a crush on her. The unassuming awkward girl he had met that time was now replaced by a warrior who was worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of them.

As a son of Hermes who had fought in the Second Giant war, he was something of a veteran along with Leo, who also happened to be one of the prophesized heroes of the last war. Though not as glamorous as the chosen seven, he had done his part in the war.

Even with the cuts and bruises over her face she never looked more beautiful in his humble opinion. A part of him wondered what had brought about the change he saw in her. She seemed more…. _Together_, not floundering about the way she had done when she had first come to camp.

Its not that she was bad at anything, it was just that she didn't seem to fit in. Always seemingly struggling with herself.

And then a few months ago, she went to that extraction mission. They had expected the worst, when her team had come back without her.

Apparently she had stayed behind to allow her team to get away. Silly girl. It still froze his heart when he thought about that day.

But she had returned relatively unscathed a few hours later with Nico. Though she had refused to talk about it afterwards. The next day she had surprised everyone by actually scoring a point against Clarrisse in their training duels, leaving every one stunned, including herself.

Then she had disappeared the next day, leaving the entire camp in fits. It wasn't unusual for demigods to go missing from camp. Despite the reduced rate of drop-out over the years, it still happened, but almost no one left the camp in their second year.

But Alex had and then Chiron had refused to send out a search party for her, which had mystified Samuel at the time, and made the Athena camp furious.

Though Chiron had assured them that she will be back, but had refused to elaborate. Then she had returned a couple of weeks ago, seeming more confident. A confidence which was accompanied with a sort of melancholy, that had been absent from her demeanor before.

She hadn't said where she had been all this time, and he hadn't pried. But a part of him couldn't help wonder if she had found someone.

It was then that Leo decided to make his appearance, no longer the scrawny kid he had been when he first came to the camp. Over the past year or so, he had shot up, now standing at an imposing 6'3, his body ripped and muscled from having worked in the forges, making him look older than his 18 years.

The one thing he retained from his youth were his mischievous eyes which held a grim look at the moment, and his Latino elvish features.

"Okay, we should be good for a few hours." He saw their hands intertwined, causing him to raise an eyebrow, but he gave no other reaction. "With Samuel being in the condition he is in, we can do with a break."

Alex nodded, removing her hands from his grip.

"I will take first watch." She said going outside, leaving the two boys alone.

Samuel stared after her wistfully.

"How are you doing now, man?" Leo inquired.

"Not good." Samuel grimaced. "Though I think with some rest, I should gain a little more mobility." He checked the bandages. Alex had done a good job. "Do you think we can contact camp now?"

"We probably shouldn't. They are still too close." Leo said regrettably. Samuel let it go. Leo was right, any efflux of magic, with the monsters, so close to them, would be akin to firing a flare revealing their location. Except this flare, would be attracting their enemies instead of calling in reinforcements.

"The Titan knew where we were. Why didn't he tell them?" Samuel asked the question which had been bothering him for a while now.

"Titans are immortals, older than the Gods themselves." Leo said, wearing a thoughtful look, as if he had been wondering the same thing. "They are bound by ancient laws not to interfere in the affairs of mortals."

"Yeah you're probably right." Samuel said, though he had a nagging feeling that there was more to it than that. The Titan seemed to be enjoying the turn of events a little too much for his liking. "Prometheus was a friend to humans wasn't he? I mean he did give us the fire."

"Titans are friends of no one." Leo shook his head. "He fought against us in the last Titan war."

"Were you there?" Samuel asked him.

"No, it was before my time."

They lapsed in silence, each embroiled in their own thoughts

"Get some sleep bro." Leo suggested. "I will wake you up when its time for your shift."

Sighing once Samuel closed his eyes and entered a fitful sleep.

* * *

Percy was in one of Queens' upstate neighborhoods. It was for families who earned seven figure salaries, sent their kids to expensive prep schools, owned a dozen or so cars, ranging from Ferraris to Maseratis. In short, for people who lived the American dream.

He ran his eyes over the neighborhood. He was at the moment running surveillance on this place. It was after all, the last place anyone had seen Rachel.

He stood there facing the 3 storey condo, which Rachel's father owned.

She used to get pissed if he called it hers, he recalled. Rachel didn't approve of her father's business ventures, and hated every luxury that came out of those ill-earned gains.

He gazed at the top floor of the condo, where he had spent many a day before the Titan War, trying to unwind, with his friend.

That had come with its own set of complications mind you, but he didn't dwell too much on that. Those memories led to places, he didn't want to go.

He could see a couple of cops doing rounds around the place.

That was expected he supposed. The family was probably worried sick over their missing daughter. He needed to get into her room. Crossing the street as if he belonged there, he walked up to the door, opening it and giving way to the cleaning lady who was getting out at the same time.

Giving her a smile he held the door open for her receiving a thanks in response, before getting in.

He could hear strands of a heated conversation from a room, down the hall.

He recognized the voice being that of Rachel's father. It seemed he was arguing with the chief of police about the whereabouts of his daughter.

Moving casually but quietly and quickly he ascended the stairs and soon found himself standing in front of Rachel's room.

Without hesitating he twisted the doorknob and entered the room he had at one time been familiar with.

It was exactly as he remembered it. The room was bright, airy and huge. A bunch of paintings lay on one end of the room. Her queen sized bed occupied the center of the room. The only thing that had changed was her upgraded sound system.

He walked up to the drawing board, a sheet covering it. Tentatively he removed it, revealing a painting. His eyes widened as he saw it. The skies in the background were painted a bloody red. The painting was that of a great battle. But the focus was on two figures in the center. One of them dressed in Greek armor and a helmet, stabbing another with a spear piercing his side. The same figure he had seen in his dreams.

The detailing of the painting left no doubt as to who the other figure was.

It was him.

There were some notes scribbled at the end of the painting. Most of them too eligible to be read, which said something about her state of mind when she did this.

But one word in Greek letters stood out in this mess.

Τάρταρος

"Hey what are you doing here?" A voice came from behind him.

It was one of the cops he had seen outside .Working fast, he jumped to his feet and made his way to the window/.

"This is Officer Miles." Percy heard the man speak into his radio. "I am reporting a break-in."

Percy didn't hear the rest as he was already on his way out of the window, grabbing the ledge on the second floor to avoid falling to his death, before scaling down the pipe, landing on the tarmac with an audible thump.

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he pulled up his hoodie over his head to hide his face and shoved his hands in his pockets, as he began walking away casually, hoping to walk away without creating a scene.

"Hey you!"

So much for that. But it also confirmed something for him.

Ignoring the shout he kept walking, taking a turn into an abandoned alley and waited.

He didn't have to wait long. Soon the two cops had cornered him. One of them being the one who had seen him in Rachel's room.

"Is there a problem officers?" He asked keeping his voice nonchalant.

"We need you to come with us kid," One of the cops fished out a pair of handcuffs and approached him, "Put your hands behind your head son. Don't make it anymore difficult than it has to be."

Percy pulled a defiant face, like he was the one being wronged, but complied nevertheless.

It was when he was about to snap the handcuffs shut, that he acted. Twisting the man's wrist in a painful lock he shoved the man's head in the wall, knocking him out immediately.

The other man, had the time to reach for his baton, his face now twisted in an uncharacteristically evil scowl, as he swung the baton around, his eyes turning golden.

Percy leaned back avoiding the blows, until he overextended with one of his strikes. Percy then shoved a fist in the man's gut, before knocking him out unconscious with a knee to the face.

When Officer Miles came about, he found himself tied to a chair in a dark warehouse of sorts. He wondered what had gotten him here.

When the blurriness of his vision subsided he saw a man seated a few feet in front of him, looking at him languidly.

A closer look told him that the man was actually a boy, who couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty. It was the same boy he had seen enter the condo, which belonged to the father of the girl, whose disappearance they were investigating.

He looked like one of those kids on the streets, that had troublemaker written all over them. The kind who ended up in jail… if they were lucky.

"Do you have any idea, how much trouble you're in?" He said, remaining calm despite his situation.

"I know you're in there." The boy addressed him and yet didn't seem to be talking to him. His green eyes seemed to look beyond him.

Oh god! Don't tell him he was at the mercy of a psychopath. Was he involved with the girl's disappearance too?

"Look boy, listen to me before you make this any worse." He tried again. "Just tell me where the girl is, and surrender and we can get you the help you need."

"The girl?" The boy rolled the words over his lips as if playing with them. "Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing."

Was this kid crazy? He probably was. No one in their right minds would assault a cop after all.

"Well it looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way." The boy sighed and reached for his pocket. Miles stiffened, but visibly relaxed, when all he saw was a pen.

Then suddenly his head seized as if someone had shoved a blade of hot iron through his brain, and he blacked out.

Percy gazed at his prisoner with a look of mild interest as the man gave a silent scream to the heavens, before seemingly blacking out.

When he opened his eyes again, they were golden.

"How did you know?" The eidolon snalrled.

"You guys aren't exactly subtle." Percy replied. "But we're wasting time. So, I will get straight to the point. Where is the girl?"

"You'll never find out." He chuckled at Percy's apparent naivety. "You really think, I am going to tell you anything?"

Percy nonchalantly studied his blade.

"You know what this is?" Percy asked him.

The tone of his voice made the eidolon wary. It was cool, flat and emotionless. He refrained from answering.

"Its my sword Riptide." Percy said as if lecturing a student. "Its made from celestial bronze, minted from…"

"Yes, yes Mount Olympus, the domain of Gods." The eidolon interrupted him. "Said to be lethal to monsters and can hurt the immortals and kill half-bloods, but useless against mortals. What's your point?"

"Good, so you know." Percy made a show of looking impressed. "So if I shove this blade in you, I probably won't be hurting the mortal." He looked at the paling face of the eidolon curiously. "But what would it do to you? Wanna find out. I know, because I already tried it on your friend."

The eidolon broke into peals of laughter at Percy's threat.

"You really think, you scare me more than my master does?" The eidolon said once he stopped. "You really have a high opinion of yourself Sea-spawn."

"Oh I know that." Percy said in an awfully cheerful tone. "You're stupid if you though I would be torturing you. I am not the type, and I don't have the time." Percy removed himself from his seat and bent down in front of the eidolon, meeting his eyes.

"You see the way I see it, you were meant to be a scout. You were someone, who was a look-out to report any activity here." Percy said. "But then you decided to get extra credit for a job well done, try and capture the demigod scum yourself."

"Only you bit off more than you could chew, and now you're my captive. How do you think this is going to go over with your boss, when he finds out, that you didn't follow orders, to gain some misplaced glory?"

It was with some satisfaction that Percy noted the drain of blood from his prisoner's face.

"Yeah, I am betting he won't be pleased." Percy placed Riptide over his heart and leading to the man now gasping loudly.

"So, now you can decide, who would you rather deal with?" Percy smirked at the terror in the eidolon's golden eyes. "Me or…..him?"

**Well, and another one down. Hope you enjoyed it. If you did, do tell me, if you didn't do tell me all the same. Suggestions, criticisms welcome.**

**Until next time.**

**Peace out.**


	12. Cornered

**A/N:- Okay. I am back. Its been a while since I updated and yes I had a few of you quite anxious if I had abandoned this tale, but rest assured that's not happening. I have the entire thing panned out including the ending, so no worries there. The reason I couldn't update was because I was moving away from my current place of residence and that took some time.**

**Wanted to update when I was on the road but that just wasn't possible.**

**But now here I am after a mini hiatus, so without further ado. Enjoy. And do stick around for the end of the chapter A/ns cause I will be posting a challenge. Those interested contact me.**

**Cornered**

"So what's the plan now?" Alex questioned her fellow questers.

It had been more than a day since they had dodged Lycaon and his wolves. But they hadn't contacted camp yet, for the fear of being discovered.

That was how they got them the first time. When they had tried to contact camp, they had sensed the magic and tracked it to them. They were lucky to get away from that one.

Leo was busy recalibrating his gauntlet. A gift, that he had received from his father for his efforts in the Giant War. In its dormant state it resembled a wrist band. The kind you see sports stars wearing. On activation it turned into a celestial bronze gauntlet with all sorts of functions.

Leo said he was still figuring them out. But its most important function probably was giving better control and more power to his fire abilities, which were formidable enough as they were. She had seen the extent of it, when Leo had used it to blast a hole through the enemy's phalanx.

The downside he hadn't been able to use it since.

Apparently he had overpowered the batteries and the cool-down was taking longer than expected.

But it was a small price to pay considering they were all alive.

Though how long would that be was still up for debate, and even though they had patched up Samuel as well as they could have, he would be no good the next time they got into a fight.

They knew it and Samuel knew it. He was a liability. Human nature was a funny thing that way. It tended to avoid inconvenient truths even when everyone was thinking about it.

It was the proverbial elephant in the room. What would they do the next time they were attacked, and there will be a next time.

Before beginning the quest none of them would have even dreamt of leaving a man (or woman) behind. But right now the prospect of survival was beginning to look very tempting indeed.

Its not as if they would survive if all of them worked together…. _Right_?

"We try and make our way to camp." Leo said flexing his gauntlet as it covered his forearm.

"We have been trying to do that." Samuel put in. "Its obvious they aren't going to allow us to get past them undetected."

"Doesn't matter." Alex said with more resolve than she knew she had as she opened up a map and studied all the ways that could lead them to camp. "We are going to find a way."

"Well if we can't sneak past them." Leo studied his gauntlet with a critical eye, snapping his fingers to create a flash of flame 3 foot high. "We blow past them."

Alex rolled her eyes at that. Leo always had a bit of a dramatic streak. Keeping things light and cracking jokes even at the worst of times. It was how he dealt with pressure she supposed. Being one of the major players in the Second Giant War, didn't leave him stranger to pressure that's for sure.

One of the quirks she knew he had was that whenever he was nervous he tended to tinker with his inventions, which was what he was doing at the moment.

Surprising the things you learnt about a person when you're at a close proximity to them. Leo always was a bit of an oddball. At camp he spent most of his time at his cabin always working on something or the other.

From what she had gathered from the other campers, he was always a little awkward, but was way more social back in the day. His reclusive nature had made him something of an enigma almost as great as Percy.

That wasn't the only similarity he had with Percy though. He had a sharp wit tempered with a healthy dose of sarcasm. Alex recognized a front when she saw one.

The war had changed him, like it had changed so many others. The one thing Alex had realized from her interactions with her fellow campers was that everyone reacted differently to adversity.

Some put up a false mask of bravado, some retreated into a shell, the horrors of war taking their toll, the resultant PTSD rendering them all but useless in stressful situations. There were still others who made their peace with it, had put their heads down and carried on.

Then there were those like Leo. The way he always felt out of place. Like a shoe in the wrong foot. The one she couldn't quite figure out.

Not unlike another demigod she knew.

Despite everything, he was probably the most prominent demigod in Camp-Half blood at the moment. Rumors had it that he had shacked up most of his inventions in a bunker which only he could access.

He said they were weapons of war. Things that had no business being used during times of peace.

Yeah the war had turned him into an old man.

An eighteen year old man. But an old man nevertheless.

But that was just one aspect of his personality.

The other one was the one on display right now. He looked ready for battle. His eyes held a resigned but hardened look of a man who is backed into a corner and now knows he needs to go through the obstacles even though he would have preferred to go around them.

They had set shop in an abandoned hardware factory at the moment. A couple of hours and Leo had managed to turn it into a virtual fortress.

Though nothing had changed about their situation. They had had to get farther away from the camp to keep away from the monsters on their heels.

But despite their best efforts, the monsters always somehow kept on their trail and they knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up to them.

They had found refuge in this temporary sanctuary.

In a way Alex was glad they were here. It was as good a place for a last stand as any. She was tired of running anyway.

She was tired and angry.

"You guys could escape you know." Samuel said. "I bet I could hold them back with all the contraptions Leo has set up here."

"Don't be stupid Sam." Alex said irritably. "We aren't leaving you behind."

"As much as I appreciate the self-sacrificing gesture." Leo added in a dry tone. "You wouldn't know how to use most of the stuff I have set-up here. You wouldn't last three seconds before they over-run this place."

"So we just hole up here and wait for them to hunt us down?" Samuel said bitterly.

"No." Leo said patiently. "We take the fight to them. Now I need to know Sam. Are you with me?"

Leo fixed him with a glare

"So we just hole up here and wait for them to hunt us down?" Samuel said bitterly, pulling himself up into a more comfortable position

"No." Leo said patiently. "We take the fight to them." He got down on one knee and placed an arm on Samuel's shoulder. "And we are going to need every hand we have if we are to have any chance of getting out of this alive."

Seeing the resolve in Leo's eyes Samuel straightened his shoulder, now determination and strength shining in his eyes and nodded once, silently acknowledging Leo's call to arms.

Leo turned his gaze to Alex who nodded showing her own resolve to fight till the end, no matter how bitter. But there was something which she had been bothering her since she had had enough time to think about it. Now seemed about as good time as any to share it.

"Have you guys noticed something?" She posed the question, knowing that no one here would like the answer. "There is something seriously odd about this whole situation."

"Really?" Despite their moment of bonding not a few seconds ago, Leo obviously couldn't control the sarcasm lacing his tone.

"No, think about it as hard as they are trying to kill us, they seemed to be more concerned with making sure we don't get to the camp or….." Whatever she was about to say next froze in the tip of her tongue, as she realized what this might all mean if she was right.

"Alex?" Samuel said tentatively, as he saw his friend seemingly lose the thread of the conversation she had initiated, her eyes seemed to cloud over as if trying to make sense of an extremely complicated piece of puzzle.

"Guys we have to get back to the camp." Samuel seemed to be taken by surprise by the horror in her voice.

"That's what we are trying to do." Leo managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice this time as he seemed more concerned with the way Alex was behaving at the moment.

"No, guys you don't understand." She exclaimed frantically.

But whatever she had to say would have to wait as the sound of an explosion rocked the building indicating the triggering of the first of Leo's traps.

They had caught up to them.

"Showtime." Leo whispered a grim smile playing on his lips.

He made his way to a makeshift Periscope he had designed out of the scrap he had found in the factory and the tools he had manufactured from his magical too belt.

"How bad is it?" Alex asked him tentatively.

"You tell me." Leo said handing her the periscope.

Alex took Leo's place and her heart dropped. They had the place surrounded. She could see Lycaon marshalling his wolves. The first of Leo's traps, a minefield surrounding the factory had taken out quite a few of the opposing force, but not nearly enough.

She also knew that Leo's traps won't be enough to make a difference to their chances of escaping here.

They needed a plan.

Making a stand in a battle of attrition wasn't it.

Especially since a lot more would be riding on their survival than just their own lives.

"I need the blueprints to this place." She said.

Leo handed her the blueprints without question and stayed in the background as she flattened it on a wall pinning it in place courtesy of some board pins provided by Leo's magic belt.

"Mark all the places where you have placed your traps and tell me what they do." Alex ordered.

Fishing a permanent marker from his belt Leo worked while keeping a steady commentary on what his traps would do once triggered.

She had to admit, she was impressed. He had thought of everything. His traps had fail safes and even his fail safes had fails safes. Considering he had set this all up in a mere couple of hours made it all the more amazing.

"We can't hole up here." Alex said with some finality. "Most of our adversaries are werewolves and that's a problem."

"No silver." Samuel said, who had joined them and put in his two cents.

"No silver." Alex admitted. "So at best the traps will slow them down."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Leo questioned.

"A diversion." She said. "We make them come down this route." She marked the entrance and drew a line leading to the furnace. "I believe the Greek fire you have planted should do the rest, collapsing that route. That way we should at least trap some of them there."

"If we line the area with another set of secondary traps we can take out some of the others in the process blocking this way entirely." Samuel contributed.

Alex nodded.

"How's your cannon coming Leo?"

"Not functional yet but I expect it to have enough juice in a few minutes."

It wasn't what Alex wanted to hear, but it was the best she had at the moment.

"Lycaon won't be charging in with his wolves, that's for sure." She said. "He knows that we would need to get out some time. He will just send legions after legions of the monsters under his command to flush us out."

"And he is going to succeed." Leo added.

"Exactly." Alex agreed. "That's where you come in."

"You mean the canon comes in." He smirked.

"Same difference." Alex answered with a smirk of her own.

"So we are basically trying to hold fort so that we can abandon it at the right time." Samuel said catching on.

"This is crazy." Leo said his eyes glinting. "I love it."

"Not bad for a plan created on the fly I must say." A voice greeted them from the darkness of the factory.

All three of them were immediately on their guard, drawing their weapons and pointing them towards the source of the voice.

Leo with his gauntlet and Alex with her blade in a defensive stance. Even Samuel attempted to make a weak attempt to reach his sword which was lying out of his reach 10 yards away.

His eyes adjusting to the darkness he saw the owner of the voice.

It was a guy. A tall, dark haired boy leaning dressed in jeans and a dark green muscle shirt leaning casually against one of the machines disregarding their drawn weapons as if knowing they were no danger to him, something which really irked Samuel. But despite everything it Samul had the feeling that he should know him.

"What was my appointed title when we were aboard The Argo II?" Leo was the first one to recover, though his question to the stranger had him questioning his sanity.

But what surprised him more was the way the guy just rolled his eyes as if bantering with an old forgotten friend.

"The Supreme Commander and Admiral, wasn't it?" He said.

"Just making sure." Leo lowered his gauntlet and approached the boy.

"Yeah I am sure it had nothing to do with giving you an ego boost." He retaliated, the two exchanged a manly handshake. "What have they been feeding you dude, you got huge."

"Yeah, I was a late bloomer I guess." Leo smirked.

Finally Samuel couldn't take it anymore.

"Will anyone tell me what's going on?" He exclaimed, out of the corner of his eye he could see Alex staring at the guy her mouth open in surprise.

"Okay that was rude of me." The boy said. "I am Percy Jackson and I am here to bail you guys out."

Samuel's brain short-circuited when he heard the name.

"I guess you fried his brain Percy." Leo said with some humor lacing his tone. "Snap out of it man." He slapped him over the head earning a glare from the recipient.

"Okay we don't have much time so we will do this fast." Percy adopted his leader mode all joking manner gone. "Anyone got any Drachmas on them?"

Leo fished his pockets and handed him one.

Percy took the coin and tossed it to Alex who caught it in a daze.

"Contact camp and tell them the situation."

Alex nodded mutely still unable to believe that he was here.

"Wait a minute, we have avoided doing that..." Samuel finally found his tongue.

"To avoid detection I know." Percy interrupted him. "But judging from your current situation I would say that ship has sailed."

Percy turned to Leo again.

"How many of those Greek fire bombs do you have left?"

"How many do you need?"

"Enough to blow this whole place up." Percy said.

"Well I do." Leo said a bit uneasily not liking where this was going.

"Trust me then, what I am about to tell you just might get us out."

"We already have a plan to get out." Samuel protested. He didn't like the plan where they just might end up blowing themselves up.

"No what you had was a temporary band-aid solution to a bullet wound problem." Percy said a little impatiently.

"And you have a permanent solution?" Retorted Samuel.

Percy stared at him and for a second Samuel thought he was going to break his neck, when he tossed something to Leo, who caught it looking surprised.

Samuel gave a closer look to what Leo was now holding. It was a bag. Quite heavy too. Leo fished inside and brought out its contents

"Jewelry?" Samuel couldn't keep his voice from becoming incredulous. "That's your big plan?"

Alex took this time to join them and witnessed the scene playing out in front of her rather curiously.

"I have contacted camp." She said to the room in general though it seemed to Samuel that she was avoiding Percy's gaze.

Leo's expression which was as incredulous as Samuel's a second ago was now morphed into a thoughtful expression as he studied the jewels Percy had handed him.

''They are..." He began.

"Gold plated silver jewelry, yes." Percy finished.

"This just might work." Leo said more to himself than anyone else.

"Good. Cause we need to get to camp soon after."

"Yeah getting to Camp might be a little more difficult that you might think." Alex said finally finding her tongue.

"Yes, but I doubt we are talking about the same camps." Percy said cryptically. "But that will come later, before that I need to ask you a question which is very essential to your life at the moment." He paused a bit before continuing.

"Is there anyone here who can't swim?"

**And done. No action in this chapter, more of a build up of the things to come. So, yes Percy has joined the gang and don't worry he hasn't forgotten about Rachel, he has his reasons for doing things. Next chapter will also explain how Percy bypassed Leo's security measures, though I have given a hint here too.**

**So guys stick around, cause this roller coaster is about to get wilder.**

**Onto the challenge now.**

**Escape from Tartarus.**

**Conditions**

**Percy was trapped in Tartarus for an indeterminate amount of time.**

**He escapes Tartarus at the beginning but has lost all his memories including his name and identity.**

**He is on the run again, retains his skills and runs into another demigod who hasn't been to camp.**

**Try to keep the pairing Percabeth if you want to keep a pairing or any other as long as its not Pertemis please.**

**The rest is a free reign, go nuts with this concept. I will do my own version once I am done with Hero's Fate.**


	13. The Great Valdez

**Yeah, yeah I know, I have kept you guys waiting. Trust me it wasn't my intention to do so. But life hardly goes the way you want it to. But the good news is I am back with a new chapter. Hope you like it.**

**The Great Valdez**

Lycaon was feeling triumphant and more than a little vindictive. After days of chasing after his quarry he had finally caught up to them. And this time they wouldn't have any chance of escape or rather he would make sure they didn't have any chance of escaping.

This particular _errand_ for the lack of a better word had turned out to be way more trouble than it was worth.

This was supposed to be easy for crying out loud.

A trap followed by an ambush, an easy capture and the gratitude of his master followed by the all the glory and adulation not to mention the jealousy that was to follow. All in that order.

But then he should have known.

Things are never that easy. Considering one of the demigods he had been ordered to ambush was Leo Valdez.

He was as slippery as they came, Lycaon mused as his mind wandered to the times during the Giant war, when he was following the trail of three demigods. He was serving a different master back then.

That time they had escaped courtesy of the hunters of Artemis.

But that had been taken care of now.

They were busy somewhere in Minnesota, trying to take care of a particularly vicious infestation of monsters.

He had to admit. As much as he hated and despised their new leader, the plans they came up with were pure gold.

It was because of those plans that the demigods were stuck without hope for any reinforcements.

So as much as they had struggled, fought and caused general inconvenience, it was only a matter of time.

Though saying they inconvenienced him would be a gross understatement.

They should have had them in Queen's where they had set up the ambush only for that cursed son of Hephaestus to open fire on them, decimating a third of his forces.

After that it had been a cat and mouse chase.

Somehow they always managed to stay one step ahead. There hadn't been many confrontations. A minor encounter here and there, where he lost one or two of his monster army.

A laistrygonian here an empousa there, nothing heavy. Nothing irreplaceable.

He had plenty to spare and he could afford to throw his forces at them. Moreover it wasn't as if this thing had gone completely against him. He had managed to make sure that they could not reach their own camp or call out for reinforcement.

So, they had entered a sort of stalemate.

Until now.

He had them exactly where he wanted them now.

He could almost taste the victory.

They were holed up inside that factory and it was all a matter of flushing them out now.

Also it didn't seem like they were trying to escape this time.

He had lost a few of his forces courtesy of a Greek fire bomb trap. But that really wasn't a concern.

He had come too far to be deterred now.

He would see this through….. come what may.

Soon he will be the one to have gained the favour of his master and not that stupid Manticore.

His train of thoughts was interrupted when one of his wolves walked up to him and after giving his version of a salute barked his report.

"Good." Lycaon said. "Have the exits been covered?"

The wolf barked once in affirmative.

"Send in the first wave." He ordered grimly, as he eyed the locked entrance to the factory.

This ends now.

The monsters lined up, ready to charge in.

A singular roar rose through the ranks as they prepared to charge.

But before they could a noise which could only be described as wailing banshees greeted them as the doors of the factory opened and expelled copious amounts of smoke.

A few of his forces who had sensitive hearing were already clutching their ears in agony.

He barely controlled his own pain. As he stared into the smoke he could make out a lone figure walking towards them. The smoke still doing a good job of hiding him. But his silhouette seemed to be holding a flag of sorts.

As the smoke thinned the figure of Leo Valdez became visible, holding a white flag in his right hand while using his left to hold a, what looked like a harmonica to his mouth, which seemed to be the source of this dreadful noise.

He kept walking nonchalantly towards Lycaon not a care in the world.

So bewildered was he and his minions that they remained frozen while he walked right in the middle still playing his horrible tune while waving the flag merrily.

He stopped about five yards from him before he finally stopped playing.

Pocketing his harmonica he planted the flag to the ground next to him. Now that Lycaon had a closer look to the flag he realized that the flag was actually a white shirt tied to a metal pole.

The boy met Lycaon's eyes his eyes shining with humour and mirth, throwing him off even more.

"Greetings amigos!" He greeted them in a jaunty tone. "This is Leo Valdez, saying hola from Camp Half-Blood."

Leo couldn't believe he was actually doing this. The plan was crazy. Even by his standards.

But then again there was something to be said about desperate times needing desperate measures.

Time needed to be bought and he was the one who drew the short straw.

Yeah he had been doing that for a while now.

To be fair however if anyone could pull this off it had to be him.

On the downside it didn't make staring down scores of monsters any easier.

In a nutshell Leo Valdez had seen better days.

Atleast less suicidal ones definitely.

But since he was here he might as well see this through.

The fact that they hadn't ripped him apart, when he had exited the building, were definitely encouraging signs.

Yep the shock and awe factor definitely worked in his favour.

But if he was honest, the expressions on their faces seemed to suggest more incredulousness than awe. It was as if they couldn't believe anyone could be this stupid.

Leo had to admit, he hadn't cut the most heroic figure backing the day and even now when he had hit his growth spurt he wasn't the most intimidating guy around.

Naa he let intimidation to guys like Percy and Jason.

He had seen them stop armies with a glare.

They had that thing going for them.

Leo on the other hand was perfectly comfortable with his enemies underestimating him.

And while he wouldn't be clearing any battlefields with just his presence he had worked out something which worked just as well.

It was a lesson he had learnt very early in his life, when it was about figuring how to survive the next bully.

Catch them off-guard with some theatrics and a bit of humor and they will be too bewildered to do anything when you're making your escape.

Granted his enemies were a little more dangerous than gangs and bullies, but the basics remained the same.

And as Leo's mom used to say. If it ain't broke don't fix it.

So, he stuck to his guns, figuratively of course.

And judging by the fact that he was still alive, it was working.

But he better got to it, before they recovered from their shock.

"So, is it a free for all or am I gate-crashing this party?"

The man who he assumed was the leader snarled, finally breaking out of his reverie, and Leo suppressed a gag at his foul breath.

"What do you think you're doing?" He said ferally.

Well this is it, Leo thought, he had made it in, now he needed to buy the time needed for his friends.

Leo gave him his best 'are you really that stupid look?' before tapping the makeshift flag he had made out of one of Samuel's shirts.

"Well since you're so hell bent on hunting us down I thought some sort of negotiations were in order." Leo said.

"Hmmmmm…." The man who Leo now recognized as Lycaon tapped his chin as if giving it a thought. "I am going to have to say…. No. Tear him up boys."

Before the monsters could do more than grin at their master's orders, Leo raised his hands.

"Wait, wait you haven't even heard what I have to say." Leo said. "Come on what do you have to lose. What I have to say might even be worth your while."

Lycaon narrowed his eyes. Leo could see the gears turning in his head. He wasn't out of the woods by any chance, but this was a start.

"What could you possibly have to say or offer to me boy?" Lycaon added a sneer at the end. Though his voice held just a hint of curiosity.

He had a point. Leo had nothing to say or offer which Lycaon could want. But then this was always about improvisation.

Leo spread his arms like a performer catering to his audience.

"Gentlemen." His voice boomed and some of the nearby Laistrygonians roared in acknowledgement. "Ladies" His voice was a little softer now as he sent a wink to the row of empousai breaking a couple of them in giggles, letting the sound of those boost his ego for a while. "The Gods know we have had our history."

This statement was met with a series of roars, Leo wasn't sure if it was of approval, but he persisted.

"Since time immemorial, monsters have hunted demigods."

"Demigod soup tastes good." One of his captivated audience interjected at this point.

"And I am sure you have enjoyed every morsel." Leo said pointing to the monster, biting down his own revulsion at the same time. Though his statement was met by more cheers.

"You have had your share of success." More cheers. "And a few unavoidable failures." This observation was met with boos and jeers.

"We have fought hard and fought well." He was walking now meeting the eyes of his audience as they roared in distinct approval this time.

"So I would like to ask you noble folks." Leo paused for dramatic effect. "What has changed?"

This statement was met with confused looks and stares.

"I mean you have been chasing us for week." Leo continued. "That's persistent….. even for you guys."

Leo was relieved to see quite a few of the monsters wore thoughtful looks on their faces as if not quite believing what they were doing there.

Yeah monsters weren't the smartest mugs out there and he had them confused now.

Come on guys. Leo thought to himself. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up.

"That's all very good." Lycaon interrupted Leo's speech, seeing the effect it was having on his forces. It was times like these when he wished they had more brains than that. While their lack of intellect did make them easier to lead, it also meant they could be just as easily misled as proven.

"But you're forgetting one thing boy." He relished the look of resignation on the boy's face as he realized the charade was over. "I don't care."

At his signal two of the giants approached Leo and held him by his armpits twisting his arms behind his back, earning a grunt from him, forcing him to his knees.

Lycaon bent down to is level.

"So, is this it?" Lycaon said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You're here to buy time so that your friends can escape?"

He dealt a back-handed slap to Leo snapping his neck to one side, before holding his face and bringing it close to his own.

There was no more mirth or humor in the boy's eyes now. Only determination and defiance.

"You demigods are so predictable with your heroics and self-sacrifice." Lycaon said relishing the plight of the struggling boy. "So, ready to throw your lives away for your 'friends'." He said the last word with more venom than usual as he kneed Leo in the gut, causing him to collapse on the ground, but the giants brought him back up. "I will show you how much time you bought for your friends when I capture them and end their pitiful lives in front of you."

He grabbed Leo by the throat again pulling him up, choking him.

"What was that?" He questioned his prisoner when he heard him struggle to speak, relaxing his hold a little.

"If you're gonna give such lengthy monologues." Leo rasped struggling against the werewolf's grip. "You really should think about using a mouthwash."

A look of astonishment flashed across Lycaon's face before breaking into a dry chuckle.

"You're quite a joker Valdez." He said. "So, just for that there is going to be a change of plans. I have decided I am going to kill you first. But don't worry your 'friends' will be joining you soon."

Despite himself Leo couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

"You're a loyal man Valdez." He admitted. "Now let's find out if that loyalty is misplaced shall we?"

He nonchalantly walked upto the factory entrance.

"I have your friend here." He shouted. "One who walked up here, trying to buy a few extra moments of life for you. It was stupid of him, but even I will admit it is quite noble."

"In a minute from now, I will have my wolves biting off his limbs… one by one, and he will remain alive as my they feed on them." He continued. "Needless to say he is going to suffer…. He will suffer a lot."

"But you can save him from this gruesome fate." He paused, letting his words sink in. "Surrender now, and I promise your deaths will be relatively painless. Continue defying and you will find out what awaits you."

"If not for yourself do it for your 'friend' who walked out here trying to save your lives."

"You have five minutes before I put my wolves to…."

At this point he was interrupted by an incessant beeping.

"Hey dog breath!"

Lycaon turned around to the source of the voice, to find the giants holdng his captive flinching away from him, shaking their hands as if burned, while he stood tall, a smirk playing on his lips, wisps of blue flames dancing on his body.

For the second time in the last half an hour or so Lycaon found himself struck speechless, as his forces gaped at the flaming visage of Leo Valdez waiting for their master's orders.

The wolves a bit more smarter than the rest were circling him, but seemed wary of the flames.

Time slowed.

Some part of his mind registered that the beeping sound was coming from the boy's bracelet, which was now extending across his forearm in the shape of a gauntlet.

With a growing sense of horror he realized it was the weapon he had used in their first encounter a few weeks ago, which had decimated a third of his forces

The boy fired.

It wasn't the pseudo-Armageddon it had been a few weeks ago.

Infact he wouldn't have known what it was if it wasn't for the gaping wound over his heart.

But he wasn't too worried. Wounds healed.

But something was wrong. Tentatively he touched his wound. His blood was smoking.

_Silver._

He tried to push it out. He had survived wounds from silver weapons before.

He was the king of lycans. He wouldn't be bested here.

But even as he tried he knew it was in vain. It was silver melted by the heat of Valdez's flames.

His heart had already pumped his polluted blood to the rest of his body.

He collapsed to his knees, barely holding on to the last vestiges of his mortality.

Somehow over the din of his wolves over their fallen leader, he still heard the words of the boy he had been hunting all this time.

The boy who had engineered his downfall.

"Give Leo Valdez's regards to your 'friends' in hell."

His body disintegrated before it hit the ground.

Then all hell broke lose.

When Leo regained consciousness, the first thing that he registered was the smell of sewage, followed by a constant ringing in his ear and the frantic cries of a girl.

"He is …..." The voice said. " …..king up."

He tentatively opened his eyes. Was the sky always this blue? Who knew?

His vision of the sky was interrupted by a dark-haired gray-eyed girl. The earth around him was scorched.

"…od Leo….. kay?"

He turned his head to his left and met the worried gaze of Percy Jackson.

Wait. Why was Percy here?

He hadn't seen him in….._years_?

Another boy approached him holding up fingers. Samuel?

That's when it all came rushing back to him. The quest, the ambush and their subsequent plan to get rid of their enemies.

"You guys stink." He finally managed.

Alex gave a choked sob mixed chuckle as she threw her arms around Leo. Leo after a second of bewilderment returned the hug.

Alex broke into relieved sobs as she held her friend.

For a second she was sure he was dead.

They had initially planned on trapping the monsters in the factory when they charged in before setting off the Greek fire explosives, while Percy led them through the drainage system of the factory, using his water powers.

But Lycaon wasn't about to give them the chance to put their plan in motion. He was about to order his forces to charge in before they were done.

That's when Leo volunteered to go and stall for time.

Alex tried to protest, but Percy vetoed her, ordering her to set up the explosives.

The plan was to blow up the factory and use the silver Percy had brought as shrapnel to take care of the wolves.

Leo however had taken one silver ring from Percy, she hadn't known for what, until she saw him use it on the wolf-king.

They had primed the explosives to Leo's gauntlet, so he would be ready when the explosives were ready.

Alex had always known about Leo's fire powers. She had even seen them in action, so she wasn't too worried about him surviving the heat generated by the blast.

The blast-impact and the debris was another matter however.

But he seemed to have survived with nothing more serious than a mild concussion.

And now that her relief and amazement was wearing off, her curiosity kicked in.

"Leo how did you survive?"

"Yeah man you really had us worried there for a while." Samuel joined in.

It took a few seconds for Leo to process her question, he was obviously still a little disoriented from his ordeal, before he tapped his gauntlet which was back to its armband mode.

"I guess I didn't tell you this thing has a full armour mode." He said, when he noticed that Percy was being unusually grim. "What's eating you?"

"Nothing." Percy muttered averting his eyes. "We better get moving."

"Well, now that I think about it, I probably had the better task." Leo sniffed audibly. "No offence guys, but you can't exactly pull off the sewage look….. or the smell if you know what I mean."

"Well someone lost control of his powers." Samuel said a little irritably.

"Next time maybe you can try and control thousands of galleons of water. While trying to keep an explosion from boiling you alive." Percy retaliated.

Seeing them banter, Alex broke into a laugh and was soon joined by Leo, followed by Samuel.

The adrenalin from having survived was now fading and the relief was now evident in their laugh, and Percy despite his mood managed a few chuckles himself.

"So, now what?" Samuel said once the laughter died down.

"Don't know about you guys but I can use some grub right now." Leo said patting his stomach.

"Well I know of a diner not far from here." Percy offered his arm to Leo pulling him to his feet.

Alex wasn't feeling hungry, but decided some food would do all of them some good.

"Well then lead the way."

"_Lycaon has failed in his task." The voice from the abyss addressed the bowed figure._

"_That won't matter anymore my lord." The figure said. "The preparations are complete, we should be ready to lay siege as planned."_

"_And you're sure this is going to work?" The voice queried, with just a hint of menace._

"_They don't know we are coming." The figure reasoned. "We have the advantage."_

"_Very well. Continue then."_

"_Would you like me to take care of Lycaon's targets too?"_

"_No. That won't be needed. I have another working on that. You focus on your task."_

"_As you wish my lord."_

_With a flourish the figure rose to its feet as the red glow from the abyss faded._

_It was time._

**And another one down. Thanks to all the reviewers, I finally broke the 150 barrier. The feedback has been positive and I look forward to continuing this. Hopefully this chapter didn't disappoint after the long wait. Not much of Percy in this chapter, but I am sure Leo fans have enjoyed this. He is a character who deserves after all his epic moments**

**Until next time.**

**Peace out. **


	14. Thorn Attacks

**A/N:- Hey guys, its been some time hasn't it. Been busy lately and hence the relatively sluggish rate of update. But I am back with a new chapter. This is unedited, so do tell me if you find any mistakes. Anyway, hope you enjoy this one cause I have dropped a bomb of sorts on this one.**

**Thorn Attacks**

"I really don't know kiddo." Her father said in a tired voice. "I wish I had a better answer, but I really don't."

That was the answer she got everytime she asked her father where her mother went. He was originally from Australia who came to the States to live with his grandparents when his parents had expired. He was a writer. A pretty successful one too. He had a way with words, which could come only by the virtue of being one. But no matter how many times she asked that question he couldn't seem to frame a better answer. So far the only thing he could tell her about her mother was that she met him when he was working on his first novel.

She was as fond of her father as she could be for a girl without a mother. He was a kind, generous man with sharp intelligent eyes. He was the one she looked up to, the man with all the answers to her questions.

Why did it rain? Why was the colour of leaves green? Why was Mrs. Johnson sucking faces with Mr. Mcnab when Mr. Johnson went out for golf?

He patiently answered all her questions, even the seemingly uncomfortable ones…. All except that one.

It was something she could never let go.

She knew nothing about her, except the fact that she inherited her eyes from her mother. It was the favourite part of her looks.

They were a transparent hue of gray, which seemed to shine with a light of their own.

He didn't have any other memento of her.

No photographs of them together sharing a sundae in a café, no letters of them proclaiming their love for each other, no odd trinket in the house which would have proven that someone other than her and her father ever lived there.

She wondered at times if she was adopted.

The one time she had actually voiced that out loud, had gotten the most passionate outburst she had ever gotten out of her father.

"You're my daughter Alex." He had said calmly assuring her after his initial outburst. "Don't you ever doubt it."

While that had killed the argument then, it had only raised more questions.

But after that she refrained from asking them. She didn't want to see him like that ever again.

The topic of her mother became just that after a while. A topic.

One they never talked about.

Life went on like always.

And then it finally happened. It began like any other day. The school had broken for summer, and she had joined her father during his tour to promote his latest book.

They were at a book signing in New York.

The fans lined up to get their books signed.

After the first couple of hours Alex began to lose interest in the whole thing. There was only so many times you could see someone rush excitedly over, getting their books autographed or squealing as they got their pictures taken.

Yeah the novelty wore off pretty quickly.

"So, who should I sign it out to?" Her father said, for what may have been the millionth time that day as he took the book from his latest admirer. A woman in her thirties from the looks of it.

"Athena." The woman said. "Just Athena."

She remembered how he froze, The pen in his hand dropped as he brought his gaze up to see the woman.

She looked like a career woman, dressed in a gray business suit, which went down to her knees and black heels. A pair of sunglasses covered her eyes, and her black hair was framed by a scarf.

At the moment she was smiling at her dad as he gaped like he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. His face pale and mouthing words without sound.

Just who was this woman who could elicit that response from him. Her father's reaction scared her.

She had never seen him like this.

The woman either oblivious or uncaring of the predicament she had placed her father in, calmly removed her glasses, revealing startling gray eyes and turned them on him.

"Hello Steve." Her voice filled with warmth as if greeting an old forgotten friend she had just run into. "You're looking well."

* * *

Alex ran her finger over her glass, as the rest of them seemed to fall into the kind of stupor that comes after a really heavy meal. It was raining outside, so they decided to stay put. Leo was starting to droop, Sam was already lost in his world of dreams and Alex was beginning to feel her eyes getting heavy as well.

They had been in the diner for over an hour now, having finished their meal 15 minutes ago.

They were seated around one of those tables which were meant for couples. So, they were in a tight fit.

And contrary to what anyone might believe it wasn't because the place was in a rush. It was because Percy refused the booth they had been offered. He effectively squashed resistance from Leo and Sam, when they had wanted the booth. Alex didn't bother.

Even though a part of her wanted this to be more comfortable, she sort of understood his point.

A booth would be too congested for them to react quickly enough to any threats. A table didn't suffer from the same constraints.

Moreover she knew arguing wouldn't budge him anyway. She had learnt it the hard way during her stay with him.

It was better to pick your battles.

So after a scenario involving hushed arguments, a silent glare which she was sure could freeze Medusa herself and a bewildered looking waitress taking their order they finally settled down.

She gazed at his profile, as he folded his arms, his eyes seemed distracted and lost in thought. Leo had finally lost the battle against sleep and was now snoring with his head hanging off the back of the chair.

"Wouldn't want to be him when he wakes up." Alex said indicating Leo's sleeping position. It took her back to all those times when she was touring with her father across the country, catching up on her sleep during the flight or in the waiting area.

Sleeping in a seated position was absolute murder on your back and neck muscles.

But as much she complained about those times, they remained her most cherished memories.

Her heart ached with sadness when she recalled her last meeting with her father. She hadn't spoken to him since that night two years ago.

"Yeah." Percy chuckled. "He would wish he didn't have a neck."

"You think we should wake them?" She questioned him.

"Let them sleep, they look like they could use it." Percy said. "Especially Sam."

Alex was a little worried about Sam. The wound on his leg hadn't gotten better. To make matters worse they lost most of their supply of ambrosia during the first attack and despite being as sparing as they could, they had run out. She suspected the wound was poisoned and had taken to cleaning it and changing his bandages every few hours. At this point she wondered if they could risk going to the hospital. Though she doubted human hospitals could provide the kind of medical attention needed by questing teenage demigods.

Right now seeing his pale and ashen face, she knew he needed help and soon or else.

With a shake of her head she banished those thoughts.

She didn't want to think about the alternatives right now.

Gods, her mother probably won't be feeling very proud at the moment. A daughter of Athena refusing to think.

She decided to distract herself with probably the other issue which was facing her at the moment.

Percy.

When they had parted a few weeks ago, she had been sure she had seen the last of him. Outside of her dreams that is. She still didn't understand them. Over the last few weeks however their frequency had reduced significantly.

And yet here he was. Sitting in front of her after literally having hauled their butts out of the fire.

She should be grateful she supposed, but she couldn't help feel a little resentful at the way her heart skipped a beat whenever her eyes met his.

She was better than this. He was a mess. He was the guy mothers warned their daughters about.

_He was definitely the guy her mother would warn her about._

She shouldn't feel this way.

Especially since he didn't.

It wracked her pride to admit that. But the solution to a problem first lay in identifying it.

So, yes she had a problem. The root of which was now sitting on this table.

"So how have you been?" Alex began casually, but actually feared she came off as more awkward than casual.

"I have been good." Percy said playing along. "You?"

Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced around with an ironic look.

"Guess that was a stupid question." Percy admitted.

"Why are you here Percy?" She asked him, screwing her courage and gritting her teeth.

His response was a raised eyebrow.

"Your lack of gratitude amazes me.."

Alex was having none of it. Her anger fueled by how he let Leo walk out on Lycaon and nearly got killed.

"You haven't answered my question." She said a little bit more aggressively than intended. "The last time I checked you didn't want anything to do with….. _us._"

"Can we not do this right now?" Percy's voice was cool but a hint of pleading entered it.

"Now is as good a time as any." Alex replied stubbornly.

Percy glared at her for a while and she glared right back. She didn't exactly know where she was getting all this anger from, but she held on to it.

Her anger was the only thing which at the moment was stopping her from finding a corner somewhere and hiding.

Finally he broke off the staring contest and shrugged as he reached for his pocket, causing Alex to flinch, which unfortunately didn't go unnoticed by Percy.

"Relax Walker. Don't blow a fuse." He told her. "I'm only trying to answer your question."

"Well, excuse me if I am a little on the edge." She said bitingly.

"And here I was hoping you'd trust me a little more than that." Percy said in what was meant to be a mocking tone, but came out as a little wistful.

He brought out a piece of paper and was about to hand it to her, when he suddenly froze mid-way.

A ring of bell indicated a new customer for the diner.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked her voice laced with concern, she saw the pupils in his eyes dilate. Whatever had caught his attention, was behind her. It was someone who had just entered the diner. She turned around and the next thing she knew she was lying on the floor a few feet away from where she was, disoriented and confused.

"Oh man!" Came Leo's whine. "Why did you do that?"

Despite her disorientation, it didn't take her quick mind to realize what had just happened.

A man dressed in a beige overcoat was approaching them, shooting what looked like darts from his hands.

It was only Percy's quick reflexes that saved them from being shish-kebabed. He somehow managed to push all of them out of the way of the projectiles.

"Take cover." Percy shouted, as he flipped a table to use it as cover.

Leo dragged Sam behind a booth as they dodged the deadly projectiles.

The screams of the waitresses rang through the diner. Alex hoped she would get away, or at least find a place to lay low.

Gods they never should have come here.

They needed to get out of here. There was a way out from the back, and she could probably get out, there was ample cover between the monster and her. So could Percy.

But not Sam and Leo.

They were trapped, and any attempts at getting out would result in giving him a clear line of attack, and judging by the accuracy of his darts, she knew the monster won't miss.

The monster seemed to realize this as he stopped shooting.

"Perseus Jackson." The monster drawled. "Word on the street was, that you had retired."

"Thorn." Percy replied. "Bit of a step-down from being the principal of a school isn't it?"

The monster laughed. "Step down? No Jackson you're mistaken. I have graduated. Graduated from taking care of helpless runts to hunting the big game." He paused theatrically. "Speaking of big game, I believe I hit the jackpot with you and Valdez."

"Lycaon was under the same impression you know." Alex saw Percy inching forward, grabbing a plate from the ground as he went. "And we both know how that ended."

"Don't equate me with that mutt Jackson. I'm sure he is getting his dues. Tartarus is great this time of the year." Lycaon said mockingly. "You should know, you were there. Your girlfriend still is."

At this point Percy got up and threw the plate in Thorn's direction, completely exposing himself. For a second Thorn couldn't believe he could be that stupid. Did the barb about his girlfriend really get that reaction?

"Leo now!"

But it seemed Thorn's inaction was what Percy was counting on, as the momentary distraction gave Leo the opportunity to shoot a wall of flame in Thorn's direction.

A small part of Alex, the part feeling guilty about all this, was hoping these people were insured.

The glass over the window-panes had melted, and the curtains and the seats were now burning in the smouldering flame.

The smell of burnt furniture and plastic assaulted her nose.

And then to her horror, a shape rose from behind the wall of flames.

She had seen him before, but it did nothing to squash the rising dread filling her chest at the site of the enraged and extremely terrifying manticore.

"Go go, get out of here." Percy shouted breaking her out of her daze, and she realized she had stopped, but she wasn't the only one. So had Leo and Sam, but at Percy's urging they gathered their wits and started again.

* * *

The monster snarled as it advanced. Percy swung his sword once, as he beckoned the monster forward, all the while covering for the other's escape. He suppressed a sigh of relief as he heard them exit the Diner.

Good news, they were safe for now.

Bad news, he now had a very angry and very dangerous Manticore who had now set his sights on him, gauging him as the biggest threat.

Thorn was now transformed into his real form, his scorpion tail, swishing menacingly.

With the speed of a striking cobra, he shot the thorns.

But Percy was equal to the task as he blocked them all with the flat of his sword.

Thorn roared and pounced on Percy.

Rolling on his feet jumped sideways escaping the first assault, but going with the motion Percy swung Riptide aiming for his torso.

With more agility than someone his size should have, Thorn jumped back avoiding the blade completely.

"You've improved." Thorn said in a seemingly impressed tone as he circled Percy.

Percy rotated his sword menacingly as he kept his eye on Thorn's every move.

Thorn jumped again, swinging his claws like an angry cat.

Percy weaved and dodged around, barely avoiding getting ripped.

They were still in the diner, and Percy was trying to keep him in for as long as possible to give the others time to escape.

He kicked a table towards Thorn to slow his relentless assault, who ripped through it like paper, but Percy managed to step in land his first strike. Riptide cut through the flesh and tendon of his forearm.

But it left him open to an attack by Thorn's tail.

Having no time to dodge it, Percy twisted his body out of the way of the poisoned tip, but the rest of the tail still managed to strike him, flinging him away through the window of the diner on to the street, where his body landed on a passing car, smashing his windshield, before Percy received an introduction to asphalt.

"Perseus Jackson." Came the drawling voice of Thorn as Percy desperately tried to pull Oxygen in his lungs. "Survived two wars only to end up dead in an unknown alley, with no friends to watch your back or bards to document your fall. I like the sound of that….. The fall of.."

Thorn's speech was interrupted when two ball-tipped flaming hammers struck his head.

"Dude you talk too much." Leo said as he brought out two more from his magic belt. Alex meanwhile had grabbed Percy and was helping him to his feet.

"Why didn't you guys run?" Percy grunted.

"Your lack of gratitude amazes me." Alex said mirroring his words from not even half-an hour ago. "Now shut up, we are getting out of here."

"Guess I opened myself for that one." Percy chuckled as he ran trying to put some distance between himself and Thorn.

"So, how did you defeat this guy last time." Leo said joining them, keeping his flaming hammers ready.

"Well we didn't." Percy admitted.

"Wait a minute are you saying this is a monster you couldn't defeat?" Leo's voice was now getting a little too close to panic for Percy's liking.

"No, we couldn't." But before Percy could elaborate, he was interrupted again by the roar of the Manticore, which was drowned by an exploding fire hydrant next to him, courtesy of Percy. The force of the water put Thorn through the wall of the opposite shop.

"So… any plans?" Alex really hoped her voice didn't come out as squeaky as she thought it did.

"Do you have a Hunter goddess on call?" Percy asked as he tried to maintain the force of the water keeping his arm raised, trying to buy them more time.

"No." Alex wasn't sure if Percy was joking.

"Then I guess we improvise." Percy sighed. "First of all we have to get this fight out of here. People might get hurt if we continue this any longer."

Somewhere in the back of her mind Alex wondered what the people around them were seeing.

And going by the screams of panic on the street, she guessed, it wasn't anything friendly.

"Where's Sam?" Percy asked as he finally let up the force of the water and started retreating down an alley, where the Manticore's size would hopefully work against him. If not…. Well he would rather not think about that.

"We left him…" Alex began, before realizing that in their haste they had forgotten their injured friend.

But before the horror of that could fully hit her, a cloaked figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Follow me if you want to live." The voice definitely belonged to a girl.

"Who're you?" Leo asked the question on everyone's mind. "And why should we trust you?"

"The monster's closing in. I will answer your questions once you're safe." The girl said a little impatiently. She had a pronounced accent, which Alex couldn't quite place. It was quite exotic. East-European maybe?

"But our friend…" Alex began

"Is with me." She interrupted. "I removed him when you were battling the monster. Now hurry."

She retreated into the darker part of the alley.

Before anyone could say anything else Percy started following her, and despite their misgivings so did Alex and Leo.

After leading them through a maze of alleys and by-lanes, they finally stopped in front of a building.

Unlocking the door, the girl ushered them in.

"Wait here." The girl said before walking out closing the door firmly behind her.

They waited with bated breath in the silence and darkness of the room.

"Would this be stupid if it turned out to be a trap." Leo mused.

"Its not a trap." Percy said.

"How do yo…"

"Where's my pray?" Roared Thorn.

"Begone monster." The girl's voice came. "This is my home and not your hunting ground."

"I smell my pray here, where are you hiding them?"

"Know your place monster." The girl's voice had now acquired a cool quality which could have frozen a desert."Either retreat or pay the price for your defiance."

Thorn roared once again.

"My master will hear of this." Thorn gave a parting shot and they were greeted with silence once more.

They heard the doors unlock, before the girl walked in and switched on the lights, revealing the room to be some sort of nursery, which explained the flowery smell.

Leo blinked hard trying to get his eyes used to the bright light.

The girl approached them, removing her cloak while as she walked.

Leo's jaw fell open.

Leo had seen many beautiful girls in his life. Piper, Khione, Thalia, Annabeth to name a few. But none of them would hold a candle to the angel who was walking towards them. Her caramel hair braided over one shoulder, with eyes that seemed timeless. She had a caramel complexion and her skin glowed the way a God's did. Dressed in a white tank top and jeans she looked like she had walked out of the pages of supermodel magazine.

"Your friend is being treated by my servants." She told them, before turning to Percy. "It's really good to see you again Percy."

Percy seemed as tongue-tied as Leo at the moment, before a single word escaped his lips, softer than a whisper.

"Calypso."

**And we are done. Hope the wait was worth it. The fight scene was fun to write. Hope it was fun to read. And now you know a bit about Alex's background. Following Riordan's formula here, hope I have done some justice to it. And Calypso. So few fics deal with what happened to her. I mean Percy did put her freedom as one of the conditions with the Gods. This is my take on it.**

**Anyway... Hope this chapter makes up to some extent for my late updates (even though I am dropping a cliffhanger). And before I forget thanks to all the reviewers and subscribers. Keep doing what you guys do. **

**Well that's that**

**Until next time.**


	15. Author's Note

Okay. Well sorry to disappoint you guys considering this is not an update. But recently I have been receiving quite a few requests to update this tale and I just wanted to assure you guys that while delayed for a bit, it will come.

I have been taking this time to work on some of my other fics which I have neglected in favor of A Hero's Fate. But rest assured this will be updated soon enough.

But I can understand the anxiety of the readers... I am one too after all. So, I will drop a few hints as to what you can expect in the coming chapters to soothe some frayed curiosity.

The chapter will be titled 'The Goddess and The Titan'.

The villain of this story will finally be revealed.

The next chapter will have another God-demigod encounter.

There will be some Percy/Calypso moments thrown in.

So, buckle-up guys, this ride is about to get crazier as I have a few bombshells I am planning on dropping. Do drop a line if you have questions or suggestions and I will do my best to answer/accommodate them.

Until next time.

Peace Out!


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